Thunder & Lightning
by Austin Seville
Summary: A Power Rangers: Dino Thunder alternate universe, featuring my OC, Austin.
1. Day of the Dino

01 Day of the Dino

* * *

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Power Rangers, Dino Thunder, or any character other than Austin.

* * *

(Dino Thunder theme plays)

The sound of a doorbell echoed through the house of Dr. Tommy Oliver, catching him by surprise. His guest was a full hour early, unless the ring was from the postman of course. Tommy made his way from the kitchen- where he was preparing an afternoon snack- to the front door in a matter of seconds. Wondering whether he'd see a person or an unexpected parcel, the rather secretive man opened the door.

"Uncle Tommy, nice to see you!" a mid-height, lanky teen said upon seeing the doctor.

"Nice to see you made it here safely, Austin, and an hour early no less," Dr. Oliver replied, glancing at the teen's vehicle. The car his parents had bought him was a 3 year-old Shelby Mustang GT500 with a black paint job featuring blue racing stripes. Speaking of Austin's parents, they were off on a long, international business trip and had sent him to live with his Uncle so he could attend high school like a normal teen.

"Yeah, I left early because of rush hour traffic, and it turns out there was a lot less than I expected," Austin explained. Not having seen his nephew in some time, Tommy looked over the teen. He now stood nearly as tall as the doctor himself, but that was where the similarities ended. Austin had medium length, blonde hair, and bright blue eyes. His eyes matched his t-shirt; the blue, cotton garment loose on the teen's skin. It sat under an unbuttoned, blue-plaid, dress shirt. The rest of Austin's attire consisted of jeans and sneakers, which was typical teen clothing.

"Come on in, I'll show you your room," Tommy said, leading Austin inside.

* * *

 **The next day, elsewhere**

* * *

Ethan James went to put on a shirt, and instinctively grabbed a blue one. However, it tore in half coming off the hanger, shocking him.

"That was my favorite blue shirt! Great, I guess I'll just wear another one…" he said to himself. Sighing, he threw on a green t-shirt and went to eat breakfast.

* * *

 **Later, at Reefside High School**

* * *

Dr. Oliver entered Reefside High and headed for his classroom, ready to start the day's classes. His excitement was cut short as the principal approached him in the hallway. She was a short woman with short, black hair and black framed glasses.

"Dr. Oliver, I'm Principal Randall," she announced.

"Nice to meet you. It's your first day too, isn't it?" Tommy asked, extending a hand.

"Yes, I'm still trying to figure out why a doctor of paleontology would come all the way to Reefside to teach to teenagers," Randall responded, ignoring Tommy's gesture. Tommy sighed and let his hand fall back to his side.

"I guess I'm looking for some peace and quiet," he replied.

"So you became a high school teacher. That doesn't really make a whole lot of sense, does it, Dr. Oliver?" Randall said, questioningly.

"You know, I was thinking, maybe we should get together. This way, you can kind of fill me in on what you expect of me," Tommy responded.

"I expect you to make it hard for them, painful if at all possible. If they smile you know you're doing something wrong. Now, I'm off to find my first truant, we'll talk later," Randall replied. The principal then walked off quickly. Dr. Oliver sighed and continued to his classroom.

* * *

When Tommy arrived at his classroom, all hell seemed to have broken loose. There were three students still in their seats, Austin being one of them. Paper balls were flying everywhere, people were chatting loudly, and it seemed as if a fight was imminent.

"Guys, settle down, take your seats please!" Tommy shouted. The students quickly ceased their activities and sat down for class.

"I'm Dr. Oliver, and this is first period science. Now, before we start are there any questions?" Tommy asked. A blonde girl in white and pink, who sat at the front, raised her hand.

"Yes?" Tommy questioned. The girl stood up and approached him.

"Cassidy, Cassidy Cornell. Dr. Oliver as you may know, I'm the anchor and field reporter for our school TV Station," she said. The class groaned. "Anyway, I'm sure our viewers are wondering, well, you don't really look old enough to be a teacher," Cassidy continued.

"Cassidy, I promise you I'm old enough; your classmate, my nephew, can attest to that. Now, let's put the camera away. For now, let's talk about you guys, and what you expect of yourselves in this class. 'Cause that's what's really important," Tommy responded. He noticed an empty stool; this class was supposed to fill the room.

"Is someone missing?" he asked.

"Conner McKnight; you'll find him on the soccer field. He practically lives there," Cassidy said. Tommy took a note and continued on with class. Soon it was over, and the day continued. As Dr. Oliver taught his classes, several unusual incidents happened on campus. Once the school day had concluded, Tommy found himself talking to Principal Randall in the hall again.

"Dr. Oliver, how was your first day?" Randall inquired.

"The kids were great, no problem," Tommy replied.

"Good, you'll be seeing a lot more of them, in detention," Randall responded.

"Mind telling me what I did?" Tommy asked.

"No, you're in charge of it today," Dr. Randall responded, correcting him.

"Actually, I have plans to take my nephew to a museum outside of town-," Tommy objected.

"Perfect, bring the little monsters with you. That should be sufficient torture for them," Randall interjected as the two stopped in front of the three detainees. "You've all met I trust. Well, enjoy your little outing," Randall all but laughed. She then walked off, leaving Dr. Oliver with the students. Tommy looked at the three teens he was responsible for: Kira Ford, Ethan James and Conner McKnight.

"Well, you three like museums?"

* * *

 **Reefside High parking lot**

* * *

Dr. Oliver led his three students out to his Jeep. Austin was leaning against his Shelby Mustang, which was parked right next to it.

"Hey, Uncle Tommy, who are these three?" he asked when his uncle walked up.

"I'm in charge of detention today. Kira Ford, Ethan James, Conner McKnight, meet my nephew, Austin Keith," Dr. Oliver remarked. The four teens exchanged handshakes.

"Is that your car, Austin?" Conner asked.

"Yeah, I've even modified it a little," Austin answered..

"Lucky! All I've got is my 1971 Mustang, and it's a little banged up," Conner responded.

"That's still pretty cool; I like old Mustangs," Austin replied.

"Hey, we've gotta get going; you guys can talk later," Dr. O cut in. He loaded Conner and Kira into his Jeep, while Ethan rode with Austin. Soon the whole group was on the way to the museum.

"Hey, got any way I can play music from my iPod Touch over the speakers?" Ethan asked.

"I built in a wireless system for that, just choose a song and it'll play," Austin responded.

"Sweet!" Ethan replied. Soon they were jamming as they drove down the highway.

* * *

 **At The Museum**

* * *

Dr. Oliver pulled into a spot, and Austin parked next to him. Getting out of the two vehicles, the detention class headed for the museum entrance. However, it was blocked by a sign indicating that the museum was closed.

"That's weird…" Tommy remarked, "Oh well, no museum for us."

"Well then, let's go home," Conner suggested.

"Tell you what, how about you guys have a look around the grounds. If any of you find anything prehistoric I'll cancel detention for the rest of the week," Tommy countered.

"Sweet," Ethan remarked.

"Austin, you go with them too. I'll go see if someone can tell me when they're opening up," Tommy added. With that, the group split up.

* * *

 **With Dr. Oliver**

* * *

Tommy walked up to the front doors of the building, and found a sign taped to the inside of the door. It read:

 _Under New Management_  
 _In case of emergency call Anton Mercer Industries_

"Anton Mercer? That's impossible…" Tommy said to himself.

* * *

 **With the Teens**

* * *

The four teens made their way into the forest with Conner leading the way. As they walked, Ethan remembered something.

"Hey, you guys hear that story about the guy who was hiking up here and fell into a giant sinkhole?" he asked.

"No, must have missed that one," Kira remarked.

"Come on, it was on all the urban legend websites!" Ethan protested.

"It was probably just an urban legend, then, so we have nothing to worry about," Austin cut in.

"Fine, but don't come complaining to me when you fall in a giant sinkhole," Ethan responded. As if on cue, the ground fell out from under the four teens, and they plunged into a cavern.

* * *

 **Back at the museum**

* * *

Dr. Oliver walked back towards his Jeep, but was shocked to see that the T-Rex statue in front of the museum was gone.

"Where did-?" he remarked. He backed away, but suddenly the statue appeared and attacked him like a real dinosaur. Tommy immediately ran to his Jeep. With no time to spare, Tommy floored it in an attempt to escape the beast.

* * *

 **In the sinkhole**

* * *

The four teens now stand in a cave, which fits with Ethan's sinkhole story.

"Alright, you guys stay here. I'll climb up and come back with help," Conner ordered. He then attempted to climb the rock face that made up the side of the hole. Failing dismally, he slid back down to earth.

"Back so soon?" Ethan taunted. Ignoring the comment, Conner set off through the cave.

* * *

 **With Tommy and the T-Rex**

* * *

Tommy continued to evade the T-Rex, but wasn't going to be able to keep it up forever. Suddenly, a bridge came into view, so Tommy headed for it. The Jeep zoomed under the concrete structure, but the T-Rex wasn't so lucky. Its head slammed hard into the bridge, and then it collapsed to the ground in a heap. Dr. Oliver slammed on the brakes, and the Jeep skidded to a stop. Climbing out of the car, he walked over to the monster's skull and inspected it.

The T-Rex had a massive hole in the right side of its head, revealing electrical components. The animatronic dinosaur was emitting sparks from the hole, but that didn't deter Tommy from getting a closer look. The discovery that the "statue" was a robot left him wondering what was going on.

* * *

 **In the cave**

* * *

Having walked through the sinkhole for a short while, the teens came upon what appeared to be a dinosaur skeleton embedded in the wall at a dead end.

"Looks prehistoric to me," Kira remarked.

"This'll get us out of detention forever!" Conner added, grabbing at the skull. The jaw slid open, and a secret passage was revealed. The four teens walked into it and found themselves in a strange room. The walls and floors were tan in color, and a three pronged footprint logo was seen in many spots.

"What is this place?" Austin questioned. He got no response.

"I could do a crazy video in here," Kira remarked as she walked in. Seeing four gems on a steamy rock in the middle of the room- which he thought was rather odd- Conner made a move to grab the red one.

"Yo, don't touch that!" Ethan exclaimed. Conner pulled back his arm. "You really are taking this 'dumb jock' thing to a whole new level," Ethan added.

"Look, I have sat through enough lame science classes to know that that thing looks prehistoric, and if I don't have to miss practice…" Conner responded. Kira cut in.

"I hate to agree with him, really, I do, but I already missed one rehearsal," she said. Austin, who remained silent, didn't really care about the whole detention thing. The gems were pretty intriguing, though. With no further protest, Conner plucked the red gem from the rock. Kira grabbed the yellow one not a second later, and Austin followed up by grabbing the blue one.

'Maybe blue just isn't my color anymore…' Ethan thought to himself as he reluctantly grabbed the green gem. With all four gems in hand, the teens were shocked to see them glow.

"What are they?" Kira asked. As another round of insults went around, Austin headed back towards the cave they'd come from.

"Where are you going?" Conner questioned immediately.

"Well, I don't know who lives here, or their reason for building this place, but I certainly don't want to be here when they get home," Austin explained.

"Good point," Ethan remarked. He and the other two teens quickly followed Austin back into the cave.

* * *

 **Somewhere in the ocean**

* * *

A fake island rises from the sea, revealing a building atop it. No one notices.

* * *

 **Inside the island building**

* * *

"The gems have moved, I can feel them," a strange dinosaur-man said to his minions. The Tyrannodrones, the strange man's inhuman grunts, stand waiting for a command from their leader, Mesogog.

"Go, bring them to me," Mesogog commanded. The drones headed off without a second thought.

* * *

 **Cave mouth**

* * *

Austin led the other three teens out of the cave as they bickered about not having a compass. Suddenly, a strange gust of wind hit them.

"What was that?" Ethan asked.

"The wind," Kira answered.

"That ain't the wind," Ethan said, "As much as we'd like it to be, it ain't." Suddenly, the four teens were surrounded by strange creatures- Mesogog's drones- putting them in dire jeopardy.

"Run!" Austin exclaimed, making a mad dash away from the monsters. The other three teens soon followed, the drones hot on their tails. The teens jumped a small trench as they ran, but Kira fell a bit short. Austin and Ethan ran back and helped her up, and then all three of them hastily ran after Conner. However, Kira fell as she ran, and the drones were upon her. She screamed an earsplitting scream, her mouth emitting yellow shockwaves. The drones were blasted back by the force.

"Help her up!" Ethan remarked. Austin and Conner helped Kira to her feet.

"What was that?" Austin questioned.

"I have no idea," Kira answered. Suddenly, her gem glowed again. Before another word could be said, the drones regrouped and attacked. The four teens were separated, and soon found themselves fighting off the drones by themselves. Kira was able to handle her batch, and guessed that her gem had helped her somehow.

Ethan was thrown to the ground, and one of the drones attacked. He held up his arms to block, and surprisingly he was unharmed. He looked at his arms, which were now glowing green along with his gem, and had hardened.

"Whoa, it's like some kind of armor!" he said. Using his newfound ability, he was able to defeat the drones. Afterwards, he wondered if the gem had taught him karate, too. Meanwhile, Conner wasn't holding up too well with his gang of drones. However, his gem suddenly glowed, and time seemed to come to a near standstill.

"Whoa, everything's so slow..." he remarked. Two drones attacked him, and appeared in slow motion. Conner disposed of them, as well as the others. With the drones defeated, he wondered how he suddenly seemed to be a better fighter even without his newfound super speed.

Austin, holding onto his blue gem, was approached by a single drone. The drone tried to push him down, but Austin caught its hands and pushed back. The drone appeared to be winning the shoving match, at least until Austin's gem glowed. Suddenly Austin was able to push the drone back with ease, sending him flying into five others. The rest of the battle was a pinch, and Austin soon found himself wondering how an orange belt in karate fought so well. With the drones dispatched, the teens were able to regroup. They studied the strange gems again, holding them in front of each other.

"Man, I'm starting to love detention!" Ethan remarked. Austin raised an eyebrow.

"Hey!" Tommy shouted, running up to them. The teens froze; unsure what to do. Austin, however, kept his casual composure as if this was nothing new to him. Dr. Oliver walked up to the teens, and saw the gems in their hands. His expression immediately turned serious.

"We have some major talking to do."

* * *

 **Mesogog's Lair**

* * *

"Send the biozords into the city, Zeltrax. Once they've started, I want a full aerial attack," Mesogog ordered.

"Yes, master," his right hand man, a cyborg-like being named Zeltrax, replied. The dutiful servant set off at once to begin the assault.

* * *

 **Dr. Oliver's house**

* * *

Dr. Oliver led the teens down a secret stairway in his house, which led to the same room where they'd found the gems. The teens were shell-shocked, except for Austin. His expression was less of surprise and more of someone whose hunch was just confirmed. Dr. O pulled up some chairs, and soon everyone was sitting down.

"Okay, tell me everything that happened in the forest," he said. The teens proceeded to fill him in, and Dr. Oliver took in the information as if he'd heard it all before.

"The drones are called Tyrannodrones," he explained.

"How do you know that?" Ethan asked.

"I helped make them. I was doing research with my partner, Dr. Anton Mercer, when there was an accident. I thought everything was destroyed, but apparently I was wrong," Tommy replied. Suddenly, an earthquake shook the room, and the lights went out. Once things settled down and the power returned, Tommy rushed over to a computer. He checked the news, and then turned back to the teens with a shocked face.

"Some of my creations, called Dino Zords, have been turned into evil Bio Zords and released into the city," he said. The teens gasped.

"My personal history will have to wait, we can discuss it later," Tommy added. He opened a briefcase, grabbed a blue device and tossed it to Austin.

"Keywords?' Austin asked.

"Stegosaurus, Dino Thunder Power Up," Tommy replied.

"Okay, see you guys later!" Austin remarked, running off.

"What was all that about?" Ethan asked.

"Is he kind of super genius who already knows all this?" Conner asked.

"No, he's MY nephew," Tommy answered.

"And that's supposed to mean…?" Kira questioned.

"I told you, personal history later!" Tommy responded. He placed the briefcase on a table between him and the remaining teens.

"Mesogog is after your gems. They're called Dino Gems; part of the meteor that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. When I found them, I had an old friend of mine, a scientist named Billy, help me make these devices in case I needed to harness their power," he said. He opened the briefcase and turned it so the teens could see its contents.

"These are Dino Morphers, they'll allow you to use the Dino Gems' energy to become Power Rangers," Tommy said.

"I gotta sit down…" Ethan said, quickly sitting in a chair.

"Breathe dude," Conner remarked.

"We can't be Power Rangers, aren't you supposed to fly, or have superhuman strength, stuff like that?" Kira said.

"You do," Tommy responded, subtly rolling his eyes.

"Oh yeah, I forgot," Kira responded.

"Are you sure we're right for this?" Conner asked.

"The gems chose you, I know you are," Tommy answered.

"Can't they UN-choose us?" Ethan asked.

"The only way these powers can be taken away is if you're destroyed," Tommy responded.

"For future reference, not a good selling point," Eithan remarked.

"Look, the gems wouldn't have bonded to you if there wasn't already something inside you that could handle the power. Please," Tommy said, pushing the briefcase a few inches towards the teens. Conner, Ethan and Kira reluctantly took the morphers.

"So, is there some kind of secret password or command?" Ethan asked.

"Nerd…" Conner remarked.

"As I told Austin earlier, say the words 'Dino Thunder, power up' and you'll be transformed. You'll know what to do," Tommy answered.

"Dino Thunder. What, did you come up with that?" Conner asked, looking at Ethan.

"I kinda like it," Ethan replied.

"You would," Conner retorted. Tommy sighed.

"Look, I know you three are from different worlds, but you're gonna have to work together or this'll never happen. This won't be easy; nobody knows that better than me. Just believe in yourselves," Tommy said.

"Really?" Conner questioned.

"Really."

* * *

 **Downtown**

* * *

Tommy parked his Jeep in a parking lot next to Austin's Mustang. He and the teens climbed out and looked up at the rampaging zords. One zord- a Stegosaurus- was blue, while the others were a grayish green. The Stegosaurus was fighting the other zords, and not faring too well. Before anything could be said or done, Zeltrax appeared.

"Greetings, Dr. Oliver and company, I am Zeltrax. I cannot allow you to go further, or you might ruin my master's plans. That bastard in the Stegozord only snuck past me because he was alone; you four won't be so lucky," he said.

"I guess we have a problem, then. Now!" Tommy ordered.

"Dino Thunder, power up! Ha!" the three teens exclaimed. They were morphed into the Red, Yellow and Green Power Rangers. Zeltrax cursed under his breath and then summoned some Tyrannodrones.

"Summon your weapons; they're in your belts!" Tommy shouted.

"You got it, Dr. O!" Conner responded. Soon, he was holding a Tyranno Staff, while Ethan and Kira held a Tricera Shield and Ptera Grips respectfully. They defeated the drones swiftly, but fought a losing battle against Zeltrax.

"Rangers, combine your weapons!" Tommy ordered. The Rangers did so, resulting in a large blaster that they held together.

"Z-Rex Blaster!" they cried.

"This'll be even more powerful when Austin's here to help," Tommy commented.

"Of course," Ethan responded.

"Shut up and fire!" Conner cut in. The Rangers' did so, and their shot hit dead on. Zeltrax was dealt heavy damage, so he retreated to a massive ship flying over the city. The Rangers then ran towards the zords, knowing that they had to tame them. Suddenly, a voice came from the Stegozord.

"About time you guys got here!" Austin exclaimed.

"Better late than never, right?" Conner responded.

"Yeah. Get a hold of those zords will you?" Austin replied.

"You got it!" Ethan cut in. He held up his morpher, and seconds later the Tricerazord was under his control.

"My turn!" Kira cried. She held up her morpher, and seconds later she had control of the Pterazord.

"Conner, the Tyrannosaurus is out of control!" Ethan said.

"Come on, I need you to work with me here!" Conner shouted at the T-Rex. He held up his morpher, and managed to gain control of the berserk zord.

"Only one more thing to do, bring em' together!" Tommy said, running up to him.

"Count me in on this one!" Austin cut in. The other three Rangers jumped into their zords, and began the process of combining all four of them. Within a minute, the four Rangers stood together inside the Megazord.

"Your robot is no match for me! Fire!" Zeltrax exclaimed. Lasers fired down at the Megazord, rocking it a little.

"Now I'm mad!" Conner remarked.

"Really? THAT'S your brilliant comeback?" Austin commented. Conner sweat-dropped in his helmet. Meanwhile, Zeltrax's ship shot down two long cables, which the Rangers grabbed with the Megazord. Suddenly the cables were charged with electricity, shocking the Rangers and causing them to release the cables.

"Time to head for the back of the net!" Conner exclaimed.

"Great, a corny soccer analogy…" Austin commented as the Megazord grabbed one of the cables. The Rangers' giant robot used the cable to swing up on top of the ship, getting an aerial view of it.

"There's the heart of the ship!" Ethan remarked.

"Looks like you're up Conner!" Austin remarked.

"Don't miss!" Kira added.

"Dino drill, engage!" Conner cried. The Megazord activated the drill on its left arm and tore through the center of Zeltrax's ship. As the Rangers landed, the ship exploded into tiny pieces. Zeltrax, however, had teleported out just in time.

* * *

 **Dino Thunder HQ/Tommy's secret basement**

* * *

Dr. Oliver stood in front of Conner, Ethan and Kira with the briefcase, which now contained three bracelets with the red, yellow and green Dino Gems embedded into them.

"Keep these bracelets with you at all times. They'll access your morphers when you need them, and you can use these to communicate with me and with each other," Tommy said, handing them out.

"Dr. O I know you're real smart, and a science teacher and everything, but this is, well, I mean how did you-," Kira started.

"I'll fill you in, in time," Tommy answered.

"Speaking of time, you think Mesogog's gonna stick around for a while?" Ethan asked.

"Unfortunately, they always do," Tommy answered.

"They?" Conner questioned.

"I know this is a lot to take in," Tommy said, avoiding the question.

"That's for sure," Ethan remarked.

"Your lives have just changed in ways you probably couldn't have imagined, but as long as you work together, and remember, you're a team, no one can defeat you. No one," Tommy finished. The teens absorbed the information for a few seconds, before someone was heard coming down the stairs. The teens turned around to see Austin standing on the stairs, now wearing a bracelet with the blue Dino Gem on it.

"Hey, I made popcorn chicken! Who wants some?" Austin asked.

"I do!" Conner said, heading up the stairs quickly.

"Hey, how come he didn't have to hear the whole lecture thing?" Ethan asked.

"I told you already Ethan; he's my nephew," Tommy answered, "Someday you'll understand."


	2. Wave Goodbye

02 Wave Goodbye

* * *

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Power Rangers, Dino Thunder, or any character other than Austin.

* * *

(Dino Thunder theme plays)

"Hayley's Cyberspace... Conner!" Kira said as she walked up in front of a building with a sign on it. She and Conner McKnight stopped next to each other in front of the building.

"Ethan call you, too?" Conner asked.

"Yeah, said it was super important," Kira answered, "what is this place anyway?"

"No clue," Conner replied.

"Let's check it out," Kira responded. The two walked inside with Kira leading the way. Entering the building, they found it was full of people and included, among other things, a drink bar and an arcade.

"Woah..." Conner remarked, "you think he lives here?"

"I think he wishes he lived here," Kira responded. Suddenly, Ethan and Austin walked up.

"There they are, my other brother and sister in crime, or at least crime fighting," Ethan said, "Welcome to my world. What do you think?"

"Well, I guess it's kinda cool, in a techno, retro, dorky kinda way," Conner remarked as Ethan and Austin began showing them around the place.

"You can do anything here; game, chat online, listen to music, even drink," Austin remarked.

"Who came up with the idea for this?" Kira asked.

"That would be Hayley; she's a techno legend, MIT grad, programming genius. Got tired of working for big technology and decided to open up this place," Ethan answered.

"Good thing for you," Kira responded.

"No lie," Austin cut in, chuckling.

"Anyway, what's so important?" Conner asked.

"I just figured hey, we're gonna be saving the world together, I wanted you guys to see what I'm about," Ethan answered.

"Okay, whatever dude," Conner remarked uninterestedly. Suddenly, Hayley walked up.

"Hey guys, what can I get you?" she asked.

"I'll just have a Coke," Kira answered.

"Oh, that's easy. Kira, right?" Hayley responded.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" the Yellow Ranger asked.

"Oh I'm all about information, it's my business," Hayley responded, "Now, you sing, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do," Kira replied.

"Great; how about this Friday, you and your band play here. We'll call it an audition," Hayley responded.

"Uh, yeah; I mean, that would be great!" Kira answered.

"Alright, see you then," Hayley said, walking off.

"Okay, I love her," Kira remarked to her fellow Rangers.

"That's Hayley; there's not one kid in here she doesn't know about somehow," Ethan responded.

"Doesn't help me," Conner interjected.

"Conner McKnight, the soccer player. I'm surprised you're not at the open tryouts for the Reefside Wave," Hayley said, reappearing suddenly and handing Kira a Coke.

"Open tryouts?" Conner asked, gawking.

"Yeah, at their practice field, right now," Hayley answered.

"You're kidding, right?" Conner asked.

"No," Hayley answered, stifling a laugh.

"You were saying?" Ethan remarked. Conner made a beeline for the exit.

"Good luck, bro," Ethan added as Hayley walked off.

"I gotta go, too; I need to put setups together and re-string my guitar, here," Kira said, handing Ethan the soda she hadn't touched yet. Austin immediately took it off Ethan's hands.

"Bye!" Kira finished, heading out.

"Nothing like spreading the love," Ethan remarked.

"You can say that again," Austin responded, taking a sip of what was now his soda. Suddenly, their Dino bracelets went off. Knowing it must be important, they answered them immediately.

"Hey doc, you got Ethan," Ethan said.

"You got me, too, Uncle Tommy," Austin added.

"Hey, can you guys meet me at the end of Riverside Road in an hour?" Tommy asked.

"Yeah, sure, what's going on?" Austin asked in response.

"Just be there, I'll explain then," Tommy answered.

"You got it, Dr. O!" Ethan responded.

* * *

 **Mesogog's Lair**

* * *

"Well?" Mesogog asked.

"Well what, sir?" his minion, Elsa, asked. Elsa was a short woman, clad in a black jumpsuit. Her hair was styled in thin braids winding around her skull, and she bore a strange resemblance to Principal Randall.

"Where's my explanation?" Mesogog asked.

"My lord, we offer no excuses and in apology we promise to improve our performance," Zeltrax answered.

"Is this correct, Elsa? Am I to understand that you feel no need to explain yourself?" Mesogog asked.

"Lord Mesogog, it is in my humble opinion that it would be a waste of your valuable time; time better spent destroying Dr. Oliver and his new Power Rangers," Elsa responded, finishing her sentence quickly out of fear.

"Exactly the answer I was looking for," Mesogog responded, "Now, have you had any luck in tracking down what we discussed earlier?"

"We know they're out there," Elsa responded.

"Oliver has not made his move yet, but when he does we'll be there to stop him," Zeltrax added.

"You had better be," Mesogog remarked evilly.

* * *

 **In the forest at the end of Reefside Road**

* * *

As they walked towards Dr. Oliver's discovery, Austin and Ethan were filled in on his research.

"Some of my experiments were scattered all throughout this area... there!" Dr. Oliver said. He and his two companions crouched around four silver objects with glowing centers, one being red, one blue, one yellow and one green.

"What are they?" Austin asked.

"Eggs," Dr. Oliver answered.

"Yo, it's cool Dr. O, I just had lunch a couple hours ago," Ethan remarked.

"No, we're not gonna eat them, we're gonna hatch them. Then you're gonna ride them," Dr. Oliver responded.

"Maybe it's all this quiet out here that's got me hearing things, but I thought you just said we're gonna ride these," Ethan said, standing up.

"I did. Trust me, guys, when these things are ready they're gonna be a big help to us," Dr. Oliver responded.

"Alright, whatever you say," Ethan replied. The two of them went to put the eggs in a bag, and had one inside when something blurred past them. They stood up and took defensive positions.

"You saw that, right?" Ethan asked.

"Sure did," Austin responded. Meanwhile, Dr. Oliver scooped the other three eggs into his bag.

"We have to protect the eggs at all costs," he said as he slung the bag over his shoulder.

"Who would hurt them?" Ethan asked. Austin rolled his eyes as Elsa stepped out from behind a tree.

"I would," she said.

"And I. I'm sorry to have my doubts about your intelligence, Dr. Oliver," Zeltrax said as a Tyrannodrone snuck up behind Tommy. It tried to steal the bag, but Tommy kicked it away.

"Attack!" Zeltrax ordered. Tyrannodrones swarmed the two Rangers and their mentor from all sides, and soon a full on brawl was underway. Dr. Oliver proved himself to be no pushover, using martial arts to defeat the drones. However, they just kept coming.

"Ethan, call the others!" Dr. Oliver cried. However, the Green Ranger was promptly kicked to the ground before he could utter a word.

"Guys, we could really use some help out here!" Austin said into his bracelet as he pushed over a drone with a swat of his hand.

* * *

 **With Conner**

* * *

The Red Ranger, who had impressed the coach with his skill so far, was annoyed at the sudden beeping of his bracelet. Of all the times for it to go off, it had to be during tryouts.

"No, not now!" Conner said to himself. He ran off, shouting to the coach that he'd be right back.

* * *

 **With Kira**

* * *

Kira was headed home with new guitar strings and a few other things when her bracelet went off. Sighing, she headed towards the other Rangers.

* * *

 **Back at the battle**

* * *

Ethan stood from being knocked over, and glared at the Tyrannodrone responsible.

"Okay, you asked for it, not me," he said.

"Dino Thunder, Power up, ha!" the four Rangers cried. They morphed separately, pulling out their weapons.

"Cool, a Stego Sword!" Austin remarked, holding his weapon for the first time. Conner and Kira soon appeared, helping Austin save Ethan from a group of drones.

"You guys couldn't have done this another day?" Conner asked.

"Don't tell me, tell them!" Ethan answered, indicating the drones. Conner sighed.

"Let's make it quick!" he said. The four Rangers engaged the drones, using their weapons to help them. Conner's Tyranno Staff enabled him to nimbly kick down drones with ease, and Ethan's Tricera Shield did surprisingly well as both an offensive and defensive weapon. Meanwhile, Kira's Ptera Grips allowed her to dish out some serious pain, but not as much as the powerful blows dealt by Austin's Stego Sword.

Meanwhile, Tommy found himself holding off Zeltrax and Elsa, which he actually did a decent job of. Then, with the drones defeated, the Rangers came to back him up, outnumbering the two villains.

"You really like these odds? Cause you look busted to me!" Ethan declared.

"We're not through with you, Power Rangers!" Elsa cried.

"Oh, of course not," Austin remarked sarcastically, knowing they'd be back. The two villains retreated through an invisiportal, leaving Dr. Oliver and the Rangers alone.

"We better get these back to my place," the Rangers' mentor remarked, indicating the eggs.

"What are they?" Kira asked.

"We're going to ride them," Ethan responded awkwardly. Austin stifled a laugh.

"What?" Ethan asked.

"Nothing, go on," Austin responded, trying not to draw attention.

"Look, I have to go back to tryouts, can you guys handle this?" Conner asked suddenly.

"Yeah, the others can fill you in later," Dr. O answered.

"Thanks, bye!" Conner responded as he ran off.

"Good luck!" Ethan shouted after him. He and the other two Rangers then followed Dr. Oliver towards where they'd parked the Jeep and Austin's car.

* * *

 **Back at the soccer field**

* * *

Conner arrived to see things being packed up, but rushed down anyway.

"Hey," he said to the coach.

"McKnight, I have you down as a DNF, did not finish," the coach remarked.

"Look, I'm sorry, I had something really important to take care of," Conner responded.

"If there's anything more important than soccer, this isn't the place for you," the coach replied.

"Nothing's more important than soccer," Conner responded.

"Thanks for trying out," the coach said, patting Conner on the back and walking off.

"Oh man..." Conner said to himself. Suddenly, a soccer ball rolled up to his foot, and a little African American girl with pig tails jogged up.

"Kick it!" she cried. He kicked it back to her, and she stopped it by putting her foot down on top of it.

"Good stop," Conner remarked.

"Thanks," the girl responded. She then ran off with her guardian. Conner sighed and shook his head.

* * *

 **Hayley's Cyberspace**

* * *

Austin, Kira and Ethan sat around a table using three laptops they'd rented.

"Man, Dr. O is into some weird and funky stuff; I don't even want to think about what he's hatching down in that cave right now," Ethan remarked.

"Probably something related to dinosaurs," Austin commented.

"I have a feeling we won't have to wait long to find out," Kira added. She turned towards the entrance just in time to see a Hispanic boy wearing a gray button up over a white tee walk in.

"Whoa, who is that?" she asked.

"I don't know," Austin answered, looking at the boy. Ethan waved a hand in front of Kira's face.

"Hello, anyone in there?" he asked.

"He's really... wow, isn't he?" Kira asked.

"Eh, I've seen better," Austin remarked, smirking. Ethan laughed while Kira glared at him.

"Quiet, he's coming over here!" the female Ranger said in a harsh whisper. However, as the boy walked up she shied away and stared at her computer screen.

"Hey, I'm looking for Hayley, she said I'm supposed to start work today," the boy said, walking up.

"Um, she should be around here somewhere. Hey, haven't I seen you at Reefside?" Ethan responded.

"Yeah, I just moved here last week. My name's Trent," the boy responded.

"I'm Ethan, this is Austin and that's Kira," Ethan responded, shaking Trent's hand.

"Nice to meet you, Trent," Austin added, also shaking hands with the newcomer. Kira seemed to be ignoring the three of them completely, and Trent noticed.

"Hey," he asked, "Are you okay?"

"She doesn't speak," Ethan said with mock sadness, "We've been trying for years, but we just can't get through." Kira glared at him while Austin laughed and high fived him.

"I'm fine; nice to meet you," Kira said to Trent before turning back to the report she was writing. Suddenly, Hayley walked up.

"Trent, good timing, come with me and we'll get you started," she said.

"Cool," Trent said, turning back to the Rangers, "See you guys later." He and Hayley walked off, and then Ethan turned to Kira.

"He's just so wow!" he said mockingly. Austin couldn't help but chuckle, especially when Kira slapped Ethan's leg. Just then, Conner walked up.

"Hey man, how'd it go?" Austin asked.

"How'd it go? It's over! The coach basically said forget it, and who can blame him; I mean, I left in the middle of practice!" Conner responded.

"It's not like you didn't have a good excuse," Kira responded.

"Yeah, cause the coach would totally believe that I was fighting freaky looking dinosaurs in the forest! Man, this whole saving the world thing is really starting to bum me out!" Conner remarked angrily, "I need to go talk to Dr. O."

"Um, I think he's kinda busy," Austin cut in.

"I don't care; I was busy today and he cut into my life!" Conner responded, storming off.

"Great, we better follow him..." Ethan moaned. The others hesitantly agreed.

* * *

 **Entrance to Dr. Oliver's basement**

* * *

As the door opened, the Rangers could see items flying everywhere as if a hurricane was blowing through.

"Don't come in, it's not safe!" Tommy shouted.

"We kinda got that, Uncle Tommy!" Austin responded. Suddenly, Tommy was flung across the room, landing in front of the Rangers.

"Is that what was in those eggs?" Ethan asked.

"Yeah, I'm trying to train them," Tommy responded.

"How's it coming?" Conner inquired.

"Slowly," Tommy responded, ducking another flying object, "Very slowly."

"Look, I can see that you're busy and all, but I need to talk," Conner continued.

Suddenly, Tommy was thrown forward past the Rangers by what appeared to be a red tail. The Rangers closed the door to the basement and helped Tommy to his feet.

"I guess I could take a break," the Rangers' mentor said.

"Look, you gotta find someone to replace me," Conner remarked.

"What are you talking about?" Kira interjected.

"You're crazy!" Ethan cried at the same time.

"Alright, settle down you two," Tommy said. Austin stepped back, wanting to stay out of the conversation.

"What's the problem?" Tommy asked.

"Look, I'm a soccer player, that's all that I ever wanted to do. Now, every moment of my life has led up to playing for a pro team, and I get the greatest chance of my life, and I blow it," Conner responded.

"I understand, and you're right," Tommy responded.

"You're agreeing with him?" Ethan questioned.

"Conner, I know how you feel, because I've felt that way before; but I want you to think about this before you do it," Tommy finished.

"Look, I've got things I want to do, too, but I'm here," Kira added.

"Good for you, I guess I'm just different," Conner responded, walking off.

"Different? If by that you mean more selfish, you're dead on," Austin remarked.

"Here and I thought the red guy was supposed to be the leader," Ethan added.

"I know, right? Guess I'm up, now," Austin responded. Tommy just shook his head sadly.

* * *

 **Mesogog's Lair**

* * *

"If Oliver tames those creatures, he'll be able to use them against us, and that would be disastrous," Mesogog declared, "The time has come for Dr. Oliver to become a student instead of a teacher; Initiate the genome randomizer." Elsa and Zeltrax activated a strange machine, which produced a vicious looking, leaf adorned monster that would definitely be trouble for the Rangers. Mesogog smiled.

* * *

 **Practice Field**

* * *

Conner was kicking balls into a net when the coach from earlier walked up behind him.

"McKnight," the coach said, catching Conner's attention.

"Coach, what are you doing here?" Conner asked, turning to face him.

"Got a call from one of your teachers, tells me that it was his fault that you had to leave today," the coach said.

"Does that mean I've got a shot?" Conner asked.

"You've always had a shot, son, are you sure you really want this? You'll have to give up everything," the coach asked.

"Yeah, I am!" Conner responded.

"Well, I'll let you know," the coach said, heading off. Suddenly, the other Rangers walked up.

"Hey, bro," Ethan said.

"Things okay with the coach?" Kira asked.

"I heard Uncle Tommy gave him a call earlier," Austin added.

"Yeah, I think so. Listen, I'm sorry you guys, you gotta understand," Conner said.

"Yeah, we do," Kira responded.

"She does more than me, but if that's what you really want," Ethan commented.

"Same here," Austin added. Suddenly, their bracelets went off.

"Guys, we have a situation; there's a monster attacking the city, people are in danger!" Tommy exclaimed.

"Okay, but this is the last time," Conner responded.

"Dino Thunder, Power up, ha!" the four Rangers cried, morphing.

* * *

 **In the city with the monster**

* * *

"Nasty!" Conner remarked at the sight of the beast. The three Rangers engaged it, but were thrown backwards to the ground. The beast started after Kira, but was stopped in its tracks by Ethan's voice.

"Hey birdbrain, Thundermax!" he cried. He, Conner and Austin blasted the monster with their Thundermax blasters, and the big chicken fled.

"He's getting away!" Kira cried, getting up.

"We'll never catch it!" Conner responded, stopping her.

"God, you are so negative!" Austin retorted.

"Guys, you _can_ catch the monster; Meet the Raptor Riders!" Tommy suddenly said over the morphers. Four semi-mechanical, black and Ranger-colored raptors dashed towards the four teens. The Rangers jumped on their respective colored raptors with joy.

"Oh yeah!" Conner remarked.

"Sweet, let's do this!" Austin commented.

"Yeah, great!" Kira added enthusiastically.

"Oh yeah, baby!" Ethan finished excitedly.

"Go, Raptor Riders!" the Rangers exclaimed together. They rode the raptors through the city, pursuing the monster. They came upon a massive wave of drones, and saw one attacking the girl Conner had seen at the practice field earlier.

"I'll help the girl, you guys follow that creep!" Conner remarked.

"Got it!" Kira responded.

"One 'creep' going down!" Austin added. He, Kira and Ethan rode off in pursuit of the monster while Conner jumped off his raptor and engaged the drone that was going after the girl. Taking it down with a powerful kick, he crouched next to the young soccer lover.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Mhmm!" the girl responded with a smile. Her guardian suddenly ran up to take care of her.

"She's safe now," Conner said before heading off to help his fellow Rangers. He caught up to them as they launched an attack on the monster. Kira started off with a couple slashes of her Ptera Grips, followed by Ethan blasting it. Conner then slashed it with his Tyranno Staff, which Austin followed immediately with a hard blow from his Stego Sword. The monster was blasted back to the ground, meanwhile Austin, Ethan and Kira jumped off their Raptor Riders and landed on either side and behind Conner on his. They combined their weapons immediately.

"Z-Rex blaster! Firing!" Conner cried. The blaster, now stronger with the addition of Austin's sword, blasted the monster into oblivion.

"Awesome, we rock!" Ethan remarked.

* * *

 **Mesogog's Lair**

* * *

"Must I do everything for myself?" Mesogog roared, "Activating hydro regenerator!" He pushed up a lever on his machine.

* * *

 **Back at the Battlefield**

* * *

A strange storm cloud appeared and rained down some kind of liquid on what used to be the monster, bringing it back together and causing it to grow about 30 stories tall.

"Whoa!" the Rangers remarked.

"Dr. O, we may have a problem," Conner said into his morpher.

"Lemme guess, the 30 story version of that guy you were just fighting?" Dr. Oliver asked.

"You've done this before, haven't you?" Ethan asked.

"Once or twice," Tommy responded, "I'm sending the Dino Zords." The four zords came charging in to help the Rangers face the monster.

"Bring it on!" Conner cried.

"Alright!" Ethan remarked.

"Yeah!" Kira added.

"You guys ready?" Austin asked.

"Let's do it!" Conner responded. The four rangers entered their zords, and then combined them into the Thundermax Megazord. However, the monster blasted them, sending the megazord stumbling back a couple steps.

"I have an idea!" Kira remarked, "Ptera-rang!" The Megazord pulled out a pterodactyl themed boomerang and threw it at the monster, knocking it back in a stunned state.

"Time to finish the job!" Austin remarked, "Stega Slash!" The Megazord used the Stegazord's tail like a sword and dealt the monster a powerful finishing blow. The monster self-destructed in a massive explosion, ending the battle.

"Now that's what I call monster busting!" Kira remarked.

"Yeah!" the boys responded. The Rangers exited the megazord, which separated into the four Dino Zords. As the zords returned to where they'd come from, the little girl from earlier ran up to Conner.

"Thank you," she said, hugging him.

"Anytime," Conner replied, "Anytime."

* * *

 **Hayley's Cyberspace**

* * *

Kira stood onstage, almost ready for her audition. Trent, now working as a waiter, walked up with a tray that held two drinks.

"Good luck, Kira," he said, holding up the tray.

"Thanks," she responded, taking one of the drinks. As Trent walked off, Conner walked up to Ethan and Austin.

"Hey, didn't expect to see you here," Ethan remarked.

"Why not, we're partners in crime fighting, right?" Conner responded.

"Are we?" Austin questioned.

"Yeah, we are," Conner responded.

"Hey, what happened with the Wave?" Ethan asked.

"I had to make a choice. That little girl made me realize that there's nothing more important than what we're doing," Conner answered. Suddenly, Hayley walked up with three drinks.

"Hey, Conner, sorry you didn't make the team," she apologized.

"Uh, yeah," Conner mumbled.

"These are on the house," Hayley added. She set the drinks down and walked off.

"How does she do that?" Conner asked incredulously.

"Hayley knows all, man, and I'm sorry, too," Ethan responded.

"Same here," Austin added. With Conner's apology accepted, the three male Rangers watched as Hayley introduced Kira. The yellow Ranger and her band then began their audition, playing great music.

"Hey, wasn't Dr. O supposed to be here?" Ethan questioned

"Yeah, he was..." Austin responded, starting to worry about his uncle.

* * *

 **Outside Hayley's Cyberspace**

* * *

Dr. Oliver had just walked up to the building, when suddenly an invisiportal opened up and released a squad of Tyrannodrones. Along with Zeltrax, the drones overpowered Tommy and took him back with them to Mesogog's lair as a hostage.


	3. Legacy of Power

03 Legacy of Power

* * *

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Power Rangers, Dino Thunder, or any character other than Austin.

* * *

(Dino Thunder theme plays)

In his lair, Mesogog futilely tried to access a power source inside a large, crystal-like stone. He had already cursed angrily twice, and his patience was thinning. Suddenly, Zeltrax and six tyrannodrones entered with the captive Tommy Oliver.

"The prisoner," Zeltrax announced.

"Finally," Mesogog remarked, "Tie him to the life force extractor."

"What do you want from me?" Tommy asked.

"How rude of me not to explain," Mesogog responded. Tommy was strapped to a black chair resembling the kind seen at dentists' offices. "My senses tell me that this stone encases a power source that will be most useful to me when I crush your pathetic Power Rangers. Alas, all my efforts to retrieve it have been... less than successful. That's where you come in," Mesogog continued.

"Sorry, can't help you there, I'm just a high school science teacher," Tommy replied.

"Really? A high school science teacher who just happens to have taught four teenagers to become Power Rangers! I know you know what's inside this stone; you're going to help me get it out or you will not like the consequences!" Mesogog responded, lowering a large spike towards Tommy's chest.

* * *

 **Dino Thunder Command Center**

* * *

"This is bad," Kira remarked.

"Way bad, worse than-," Ethan started.

"Dude, we don't need to hear a video game analogy right now," Austin cut in.

"Okay, look, don't you think we're getting a little too freaked out about this?" Conner asked.

"Dr. O doesn't show up for my gig, then misses a whole day of school without calling," Kira started.

"Not to mention I live with him and I haven't seen him since before Kira's gig," Austin added.

"Right, so I'd say we've achieved exactly the right level of freaking out," Kira finished.

"I guess there's only one way to find out what the good doctor's been up to," Ethan remarked, walking over to the computer.

"Hold it, I have to stop you right there," Austin said.

"And why's that?" Ethan questioned.

"Because one, I'd rather use the password- which I know- than hack the computer, and two, I know exactly what we need to do," Austin answered, sitting down at the computer and beginning to work, "Uncle Tommy left a video diary to be viewed in case of emergencies such as this one. I think it's best we take a look." Austin pulled up a video feed and the four Rangers started watching. Dr. Oliver's face appeared on the screen, and began talking, introducing the diary.

"I'm Tommy Oliver. If you're not me, then something is seriously wrong. This video diary is a confidential record, only to be viewed in case of an emergency. What you're about to see is a history of my life-," Tommy started.

"Boring dinosaur bone stories," Conner said flatly.

"-my history as a Power Ranger," Tommy finished.

"Okay, unyawn," Conner remarked. Tommy began narrating the history of the Power Rangers, starting from the original Rangers to where he came in as the evil Green Ranger. He detailed his defeat, his joining the team, and then subsequently the loss of his powers. Tommy then went on to show his return to the team as the White Ranger. Suddenly, Ethan paused the video.

"Hey, what'd you do that for?" Austin asked.

"Cause I'm so bugged out I can't handle much more," Ethan answered.

"Our teacher is the oldest living Power Ranger!" Conner remarked.

"Not the oldest," someone suddenly said from behind the four Rangers. They whirled around to see Hayley standing in the middle of the command center.

"Just the best," she finished.

"Hayley?" Ethan questioned.

"How did you get in here?" Conner asked as he and the other Rangers approached the female tech whiz.

"More to the point, what do you know about any of this?" Kira asked.

"I know Tommy's in trouble, and you three are the only ones who can help him. I've been helping Tommy prepare the Ranger energy since grad school. Who'd you think built half of this stuff?" Hayley asked.

"I wondered how Uncle Tommy pulled that off, now I know," Austin remarked.

"Yeah, he's great with dinosaurs and fossils, but a rocket scientist he ain't," Hayley commented.

"Let me guess, you are?" Conner asked.

"Among other things," Hayley answered.

"Okay, so you know who and what we are. Do you know where Dr. Oliver is?" Kira asked.

"I have a pretty good idea," Hayley responded, pulling out a disc. She loaded it into the computer and brought up the contents.

"This is a surveillance tape from the day of your gig, Kira," Hayley said as the video showed Tommy's kidnapping.

"Oh no!" Austin exclaimed.

"Why didn't he morph? I mean, he's a Power Ranger," Conner asked.

"He's not any more, Conner," Austin responded.

"I just realized, this explains Austin's knowledge!" Ethan remarked. Austin grinned and nodded.

"Exactly, I've been ready to become a Ranger since I was ten," he responded.

"Obviously you guys didn't finish the video diary. It's best that you do; here," Hayley cut in. She played the diary from where it left off, showing the Rangers losing their powers and becoming the Zeo Rangers. Tommy went on to detail the eventual loss of the Zeo powers and the change to Turbo Rangers. Then he showed where he gave his powers to TJ, ending his career as a Ranger. Hayley paused the video.

"After that, Tommy went to college where he met yours truly, but when he found the Dino Gems he knew he could never escape the power for long," she said.

"Seeing as how I don't want this to be the end of the line, can we get back on the subject of finding Dr. O?" Ethan asked.

"Hey, why not use an invisiportal? They're all over the city and we could use one to get into Mesogog's lair," Kira suggested.

"I've been working on that very thing, unfortunately I need just a little more time," Hayley remarked.

"Okay, what are we supposed to do while you're doing that?" Conner asked.

"Here, watch more of your heritage, you might learn something," Hayley said, playing the journal again. Tommy started narrating again, detailing the Turbo Rangers' transition into Space Rangers. From there he talked about the Lost Galaxy Rangers and had introduced the Lightspeed Rangers and the Titanium Ranger when suddenly Hayley hit pause again.

"Hey, I was watchin that!" Ethan remarked.

"Sorry, I've got something! Almost, I've got a lock in the backdoor to Mesogog's firewall. In theory it should lead us straight to an invisiportal," Hayley remarked.

"Then what?" Kira asked.

"I'll let you know when I get there," Hayley answered.

* * *

 **Mesogog's Lair**

* * *

Mesogog announces his plans to return the world to its prehistoric state and again tries to get Tommy to cooperate. Tommy refuses and Mesogog turns on his machine.

* * *

 **Dino Thunder Command Center**

* * *

"What's happening?" Conner asked as the computer showed some kind of problem.

"Either I'm losing my touch or Mesogog is _really_ smart," Hayley remarked. Suddenly, the diary played again.

"More history lessons I suppose," Austin remarked. As the Time Force Rangers were introduced, Ethan came up with the idea to contact them and go back in time to stop Tommy's kidnapping. Another suggestion was made by Conner to find other Rangers to help, but that was shot down when Hayley mentioned that most don't have their powers any more. The diary continued with the Wild Force Power Rangers and their enemies, the Orgs.

After the introduction of Marik, the Lunar Wolf Ranger, and a short discussion, the diary moved on to the Ninja Storm Rangers. Apparently they went to the same ninja academy as Conner's brother. The diary then concluded, after Conner created a little mishap, and showed Austin, Ethan, Conner and Kira as Tommy called them the last hope for the planet in the case that he be dead or out of the picture.

"Wow, that's us..." Kira remarked.

"He really trusts us," Conner added.

"Three of us anyway," Austin toyed, chuckling. Conner glared at him.

"He's just joking, Conner; Tommy trusts all of you," Hayley cut in.

"We have to save him, we owe him," Ethan remarked.

"The whole world owes him," Kira added. Suddenly, the computer went off like an alarm.

"It worked; I've got a lock on an invisiportal!" Hayley remarked.

"Time to go save a teacher!" Conner added.

* * *

 **Mesogog's Lair**

* * *

Stuck in the chair and facing his imminent doom, Tommy squirmed futilely, trying to get free. He hoped the Rangers would arrive soon.


	4. Back in Black

04 Back in Black

* * *

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Power Rangers, Dino Thunder, or any character other than Austin.

* * *

(The Dino Thunder theme plays)

Back in the Power Rangers' secret base, Hayley was preparing to send the Rangers on a daring rescue.

"I've got a lock on a portal!" she announced.

"We're on it!" Conner remarked.

"Remember, you've got to reach a speed of 536 miles per hour upon entry otherwise you'll never make it past the security wall and probably be ripped to pieces!" Hayley called after them. The Rangers stopped and turned around, staring wide-eyed at the tech genius. "Did I forget to mention that?" she asked. The Rangers continued to stare.

"I'll take that as a yes," she remarked, "Luckily I have something for just such an occasion." She tapped a few keys on the computer station, and a wall slid up like a giant door. Four armored, dinosaur themed motorcycles, one corresponding with each Ranger's color, sat in the newly exposed recess. The sight elicited awe from the Rangers.

"Which one's mine?" Conner asked. Ethan looked up at him incredulously. "I'm kidding!" Conner promised. Ethan just shook his head.

"These are your new Raptor Cycles. They should have you to the invisiportal in exactly 92.75 seconds. You can then use your Dino Gems to activate the hyperdrive and enter the portal to Mesogog's island fortress," Hayley explained.

"Wait, did you just say 'island fortress'?" Conner questioned.

"Yes, why?" Hayley asked in response.

"Well, islands are usually surrounded by, well, water," Conner remarked. Ethan gawked.

"You can't swim?" Austin questioned.

"I didn't say that!" Conner retorted.

"But it's true, right?" Ethan asked. Conner ignored him.

"You guys ready?" he asked.

"Whenever you are, Mr. Leader," Austin remarked sarcastically. The Rangers then proceeded to morph before climbing on their Raptor Cycles and riding out towards the portal. As they pulled up, the cycles stopped by themselves.

"Whoa, they just stopped!" Ethan remarked, a bit confused.

"This is probably where Hayley programmed the coordinates," Austin remarked. The other Rangers agreed. Suddenly, before the Rangers could enter the portal, Mesogog's goons appeared with a new monster, blocking their path.

"Who invited you to the party?" Kira demanded.

"I'm crashing, and I brought a few friends!" Elsa retorted. Her gang of monsters charged, so the Rangers gunned the throttle on their cycles and charged the evil goons. Kira took on the Tyrannodrones, blasting them with her Raptor Cycle's guns as she drove by. Then she flipped off of it, shooting the drones with her hand blaster. The drones fell in defeat, and Kira remounted her Raptor Cycle.

Connor, on the other hand, blasted through a group of drones on his Cycle and engaged Elsa and Zeltrax. At first he used the bike to dodge their attacks, then he dismounted and started fighting back with the sword mode of his blaster. Eventually he took out Zeltrax with a powerful kick, and flipped Elsa to the muddy ground a few yards away.

Ethan and Austin rode side-by-side, blasting through a large group of drones. As they cleared the mob, the monster Elsa and Zeltrax had brought with them fired off a laser that Austin barely dodged. Ethan whipped out his blaster and fired off a volley of shots, blasting the monster back and taking it down for the time being. The four Rangers then drove up alongside each other, in front of the portal.

"Come on, the portal's still open!" Ethan remarked.

"Let's do it!" Austin added, cutting off Conner. Smirking under his helmet, the Blue Ranger led his fellow Rangers into the portal. Elsa made a last ditch effort to stop them, but the Rangers out-drove the attack.

"Punch it!" Conner yelled. The four Rangers activated hyperdrive and entered the base.

"Hayley, we're in!" Conner remarked.

"Good, I'll recalibrate the bikes for your exit. I'll need about 5 minutes," she responded.

"Alright," Austin responded.

* * *

"It seems we have visitors!" Mesogog remarked.

"I'm going to guess they're for you," Tommy remarked.

"There's that wit again; if I had a sense of humor I might actually enjoy it. I'll handle the intruders myself," Mesogog responded, walking off.

"The lab should be just around here!" Kira remarked, leading the team. Suddenly, Mesogog appeared.

"Welcome, we've been expecting you," he said, "Obviously, you are in need of some discipline." Mesogog attacked with an energy beam, but Elsa, Zeltrax and the monster warped in through an invisiportal, unintentionally taking the attack. The Rangers used the diversion to get past Mesogog and into the lab where Tommy was waiting.

"Quick, hit the red button!" Tommy remarked. Ethan pressed it as the others released Dr. Oliver, and the door leading into the room was closed.

"I knew you guys would rescue me," Tommy remarked.

"Is that your way of thanking us? Cause if it is it needs some work," Ethan remarked.

"I'll thank you properly when we get out of here," Tommy responded, staring at the Green Ranger for a moment. He then pressed a few buttons, opening an invisportal.

"Hayley gave you the Raptor Cycles, right? This way!" he instructed. Ethan stopped him.

"We need to talk," he said.

"We know you're a Power Ranger," Conner added.

"Correction, he WAS a Ranger, and now's not the best time, guys!" Austin cut in. Just then, the door opened and the villains walked in.

"Ranger or not, you're mine now," Mesogog declared.

"I hate when he gets like this," Tommy remarked.

"We can take it from here, Dr. O!" Conner remarked. Tommy backed away.

"Attack!" Mesogog cried. The lab became a battleground, blaster shots flying everywhere and sword fights damaging the equipment. Tommy got in a hand-to-hand fight with Mesogog, but was overwhelmed and thrown to the ground.

"Dr. O!" Conner cried.

"I'm fine, go! Get to the portal! I've gotta grab something!" Tommy remarked. The Rangers ran off towards their bikes, meanwhile Tommy dodge Mesogog's next attack, swiped the massive crystal Mesogog so treasured, and fled through the door.

"Do not let him escape with that crystal!" Mesogog ordered. Mesogog's goons gave chase, but Tommy arrived at the bikes a good distance ahead of them.

"Do we really need a souvenir?" Conner asked. Austin glared at him through his helmet, annoyed at the mistrust of his uncle.

"This one we do," Tommy remarked, climbing on the back of Austin's Raptor Cycle. The Rangers then sped into the portal as Mesogog's goons ran up behind them, angered at losing them. The Rangers re-appeared in a city street, and Dr. Oliver immediately dismounted Austin's Cycle. Just then, Mesogog's goons appeared and Zeltrax fired an electric attack at the Rangers' mentor. Dr. Oliver held up the crystal to block the attack, and for a few seconds it seemed to work. Then, however, the crystal shattered and Dr. O disappeared, seemingly destroyed.

"No!" Kira cried.

"Uncle Tommy!" Austin shouted.

"Such negativity. Haven't you learned that in our world, anything is possible?" Elsa remarked.

"Even the destruction of the great Dr. Tommy Oliver," Zeltrax added. Suddenly, Tommy appeared out of nowhere.

"I heard my name. You missed me, didn't you, Zeltrax?" he taunted.

"Awesome!" Ethan remarked.

"You made it!" Austin remarked.

"Hey, what's that?" Conner asked.

"A black Dino Gem, and it looks like the power of invisibility," Dr. Oliver responded.

"That gem belongs to my master!" Elsa remarked.

"There's two things you guys need to learn about Dino Gems," Tommy responded, "One, you can't choose them, they choose you."

"What's the other?" Elsa asked. Tommy suddenly produced a black and gold device which he attached to his wrist.

"They go real well with Dino Morphers!" Tommy remarked. He combined the gem with the morpher and it started to glow.

"Hmph, aren't you a little old for this, Tommy?" Elsa taunted.

"I may be old, but I can still pull it off," Tommy responded, "Dino Thunder power up!" Dr. O then morphed into the Black Brachio Ranger, his uniform featuring gold diamonds on the arms and legs and gold shoulder plates.

"Dino Thunder Black Ranger!" Tommy cried.

"Awesome!" Kira remarked.

"Go Uncle Tommy!" Austin added.

"Just like riding a bike!" Tommy remarked.

"One more makes no difference!" Zeltrax remarked, "Attack!" He, Elsa, the monster and the drones attacked. Tommy took out a bunch of drones before he was confronted by Zeltrax. Tommy pulled out his weapon in preparation.

"Brachio Staff!" he cried.

"Let's see what you're made of!" Zeltrax remarked.

Austin, Ethan and Kira took on the monster, fighting it with their blasters in sword mode. The monster put up a decent fight, but suddenly disappeared into thin air.

"What the?" Austin remarked.

Meanwhile, Conner was dueling Elsa. The two locked swords and stopped for a moment.

"We are not intimidated by your teacher!" Elsa remarked.

"You've obviously never taken one of his pop quizzes!" Conner responded.

Back with Tommy and Zeltrax, the two faced off, and Zeltrax seemed to get the upper hand.

"Is that all you've got?" he asked.

"Give me a break, it's been a while," Tommy responded. The two then engaged in battle again, meanwhile Conner gained the upper hand and forced Elsa to retreat through an invisiportal.

"Where is he?!" Kira asked. Suddenly, the monster appeared behind the three Rangers.

"Looking for me?!" the monster asked tauntingly. He unleashed an powerful slash that Austin was unable to dodge. The Blue Ranger was thrown back, meanwhile the Green and Yellow Rangers responded with blaster fire. The monster wobbled back as Austin climbed slowly to his feet. Just then, Conner ran up.

"Let's finish him!" the Red Ranger remarked.

"Put em' together!" Austin added. The four Rangers combined their weapons.

"Z-Rex Blaster!" they said together.

"Fire!" Conner cried. The explosive weapon blew the monster to pieces.

Back with Tommy and Zeltrax, the Black Ranger gained the upper hand and sent Zeltrax packing back to Mesogog. Just then, the evil mastermind revived the monster in its massive, 30-story form. Then, Hayley chimed in over the Rangers' morpher communications.

"Welcome back, Tommy, I've got a little homecoming present for you; I found it on the north side of the forest. Meet the Brachiozord; retrieving the black gem must have awakened him," she remarked.

"Wow!" the Rangers exclaimed, surprised.

"Wait till you see what he has inside; I think you can handle it from here," Hayley added. The Brachiozord opened up to reveal the other 4 zords, which the Rangers brought together in the Thundersaurus Megazord. However, the monster started beating down the Rangers.

"We could use some help!" Conner cried.

"Uncle Tommy, why don't you join us in the cockpit?" Austin asked.

"My pleasure!" Tommy responded. The Black Ranger entered the Megazord, a few pieces of the Brachiozord being added on as armor. Tommy stood at the front of the cockpit, between Austin and Conner.

"Here, the Cephalazord should help!" Hayley commented. The top of the Brachiozord opened up, and a little Dino Zord with boxing glove-like hands appeared. It jumped up to the monster and punched it back, doing what the Megazord had been unable to do.

"Let's combine it with the Megazord!" Tommy remarked. The Tricera shield was separated from the massive robot, and the Cephalazord took its place as a strong arm for punching.

"Cephala Power Punch!" the Rangers cried together. The Megazord then used the Cephalazord arm to take down the monster once and for all.

"Good job, guys!" Tommy remarked. Suddenly, Kira looked around, as if searching for something.

"Hey, where's Austin?" she asked. The Blue Ranger, who had been by their side not thirty seconds prior, was nowhere to be seen.

"That's not good," Tommy remarked. The four remaining Rangers exited the Megazord, which they then separated. The zords reentered the Brachiozord, which returned to its hiding place. The Rangers then got on the Raptor Cycles, Tommy hitching a ride on Ethan's.

"Man, I need a vehicle..." he remarked as the Rangers sped off.

* * *

The four Rangers arrived back at the Dino Thunder base a few minutes later, only to find it deserted.

"Where's Hayley? I thought she'd be here," Ethan asked.

"I don't know," Tommy answered.

"Hey, how about that talk now, Dr. O?" Conner questioned.

"Now's not a good time, Connor, Dr. Oliver has to deal with his nephew upstairs. You three will have to wait until tomorrow," Hayley said, suddenly entering the room from the secret staircase.

"Is something wrong with Austin?" Tommy asked.

"Conner, Ethan, Kira, go now. Please," Hayley remarked. The three Rangers, now no longer morphed, reluctantly went home. Tommy, also no longer morphed, turned to Hayley.

"What happened to my nephew?" he asked.

"First, I just want to say that he didn't want to leave you guys like that. He realized what was happening to him and knew he had to get back here fast. Don't hold it against him, okay?" Hayley remarked.

"Alright, I understand," Tommy remarked, "Now, what happened, exactly?"

"I'm not totally sure, but I'd say the cause of his 'ailment' was the monster," Hayley started, making use of air quotes, "He was the only one who got directly hit by it. I know the Megazord sustained damage, too, but it's just metal."

"Just metal? What do you mean?" Tommy asked.

"When you see what happened, you'll understand," Hayley answered, "Follow me." She led Tommy upstairs to the main floor of the house, and walked straight to the stairs. Arriving on the second floor, Hayley led the Black Ranger into Austin's room. Tommy was not at all prepared for what he saw. Lying in bed, sound asleep, was Austin. He was much smaller than when Tommy had last seen him, probably no bigger than the average eight year-old.

"Wow... is there any way to change him back?" Tommy asked.

"If I had a sample of the monster's DNA I could probably come up with something, but you guys totally destroyed it. I'm afraid he's stuck this way," Hayley answered.

"Great..." Tommy remarked, "Hey, wait a sec, I don't remember him having any clothes that size." Hayley led Tommy out of the room so they wouldn't wake the tired Blue Ranger.

"When he got here he was barely tall enough to ride his Raptor Cycle and his uniform still fit perfectly. I can't explain it, but I think the blue Dino Gem shrunk his clothing. That's the only outfit he's got, though, so I'd go shopping," she explained.

"Well, I was gonna go shopping anyway; if memory serves there's a serious shortage of black in my closet," Tommy responded. Hayley just smiled.

* * *

The following afternoon, teens were deterred from Hayley's Cyberspace by a sign reading "Sorry, We're Closed!" on the door. Inside the building, Conner, Kira and Ethan sat on a couch across from Tommy and Hayley.

"So, where's Austin?" Conner asked.

"And more importantly, what exactly happened yesterday?" Ethan added.

"Before we tell you anything, I want you guys to promise that you won't treat Austin any different now than you did before," Tommy responded. The Rangers were confused, but gave Dr. Oliver their word that they'd treat Austin the same as they always had.

"Okay, so I realize you all saw the video diary. If you remember the Turbo Rangers, they had a rather... _unorthodox_ Blue Ranger," Tommy started.

"Justin Stewart, right?" Kira asked.

"Correct, Kira. Justin was only 11 at the time, which is by far the youngest age of any Ranger. At least, it was until yesterday..." Hayley responded.

"Hey guys," Austin spoke suddenly, walking up from behind the Rangers. The three teens turned to see the Blue Ranger beside them, standing a mere 3 feet, six inches tall. He still had the same long, wispy haircut as before, but his hair seemed to be a little lighter in color. He wore dark jeans, sneakers, and a blue Shelby Cobra logo t-shirt under an open, blue-plaid, short-sleeved button-up.

"Wow..." Kira remarked.

"Holy crap, how did this happen?" Ethan questioned.

"I think it was that monster yesterday; if memory serves I was the only one who got hit by its attacks outside the Megazord," Austin explained. The Rangers took notice of the fact that his voice was a little higher than before.

"Hey, wait a sec, what about your car?" Conner asked, realizing that a small boy had no business driving a Shelby Mustang.

"I think I've come up with a solution for that," Hayley remarked. The Rangers turned to her as she began to explain herself.

"If you remember Justin Stewart, he always grew when he morphed. I had Austin morph for me earlier today, and the same thing happened to him. With this in mind, I figured if I could harness the power that's making Austin grow I could use it to make him older again, albeit temporarily. I borrowed his morpher for a little R&D, and I've succeeded in adding a feature that will allow him to become older again long enough to do things such as drive his car. I would advise against using the feature for too long though, as it will drain the Dino Gem's energy after a while," Hayley stated.

The Rangers' resident genius handed Austin his Dino Gem bracelet, which he put on immediately. Using his bracelet to access his morpher, Austin activated the new feature. He found himself back to his old 5'8" size in a matter of seconds, much to his delight.

"Sweet, I can drive again!" he remarked in his deeper voice. After double-checking that the feature was operating properly, Hayley allowed Austin to return to his normal, smaller size, after which he sat down next to his Uncle.

"Man, it's been quite a couple of days, hasn't it?" Conner remarked.

"Yeah, we've gotten new vehicles, new zords, new everything!" Ethan added.

"Now if I just had my own Raptor Cycle, things would be great," Tommy commented suggestively, eliciting laughter from his students.

"Don't worry, Tommy, I've got something in the works," Hayley remarked, winking at the Black Ranger.

"You're a lifesaver, Hayley," Tommy responded.

"Yeah, I know," she replied.

* * *

Later that evening, Tommy found himself alone on the couch in Hayley's Cyberspace, save for the proprietor herself. The three teens had just gone home for the day; meanwhile Austin was sitting at the drink bar making use of a laptop. The Black Ranger sighed.

"Something wrong? You seem tense," Hayley asked.

"I moved to Reefside to get away from all this, and now I'm stuck in the thick of things again. I just want some time off," Tommy answered sadly.

"Well, tomorrow's Saturday, maybe you and Austin could go to the park or something. He is technically a kid now," Hayley suggested. Then she gasped.

"That reminds me, we need to talk!" she added. Tommy stared at her, expecting her to speak.

"Alone," Hayley said flatly, rolling her eyes. The Black Ranger got the message, standing and following the tech genius to her office.

"So, what's the big deal?" Tommy asked once they arrived. Hayley woke her computer up from sleep mode and started doing something.

"When I was working with Austin's morpher, I ended up taking a look at his DNA. I noticed it looked kind of familiar, so I thought to myself and I remembered I'd also looked at yours when making your morpher," Hayley started, bringing up two similar windows on her computer screen.

"What does all that mean?" Tommy asked. Hayley sighed, and hesitated for a moment.

"I compared your DNA to Austin's and was very surprised by the result. What this means, Tommy, is that Austin is not your nephew," Hayley answered. Tommy was silent for a moment.

"I told my sister I'd never tell anyone, but Austin's adopted. Well, in a way," he finally said.

"What do you mean 'in a way'?" Hayley questioned.

"Promise me you won't say anything about this; my sister would kill me if she knew I told you," Tommy responded.

"I promise," Hayley remarked. Tommy exhaled.

"My sister has a problem with her ovaries, and her husband is sterile to boot. They paid to have Austin made from donors with similar DNA, which means he's a test tube baby. My sister carried him herself, though; her uterus is perfectly normal," Tommy explained. Hayley gasped.

"Tell me, Tommy, have you ever donated sperm before?" she asked. Tommy's eyes widened.

"You don't mean?" he sputtered.

"He's your son, Tommy."

* * *

The next morning Austin rubbed his eyes as he came downstairs for breakfast. He expected his uncle would be in the office grading papers, so he hadn't bothered to put on any pants before leaving his room. However, as he stepped into view of the kitchen he blushed hotly at the sight of Dr. Tommy Oliver eating a bowl of cereal at the table. Austin quickly backed up, but was stopped by his uncle's voice.

"Don't bother, I already saw you," Tommy remarked. The young Blue Ranger continued blushing as he entered the kitchen, his white, blue-seamed dinosaur briefs completely exposed. Tommy took notice of the garment but decided to ignore it. Kids would be kids he supposed, but he did admire the fact that his nephew- or rather, his son- seemed to share his interest in dinosaurs.

"So, you want to go to the park or something today?" Tommy asked as Austin grabbed some apple strudel-flavored Pop Tarts. He had decided to take Hayley up on her advice, but wasn't sure when he wanted to tell Austin what he'd found out.

"Don't you have assignments to grade?" Austin questioned as he sat down across from his uncle.

"Only a few and I can deal with them later. I thought we'd get away from things today and have a little fun," Tommy answered.

"Well, alright; how about we go to the park and play catch?" Austin suggested, "I need a new glove, though; mine's too big."

"That sounds good; we'll just stop at the store on the way," Tommy responded. The two Rangers then continued to chat as they finished eating. Eventually, they returned to their respective bedrooms to get ready for the day. Austin, however, stopped in the bathroom first and took a few minutes to brush his hair and teeth and use some mouthwash. Once he finished, the young boy made his way to his room and entered the closet. Tossing his shirt in the hamper, Austin grabbed a plain, blue tee off of a hanger and pulled it on. He then dug through his closet before deciding on a pair of black, denim overalls, putting them on as well as socks and shoes.

Ready to go, Austin headed down the stairs to the front door. As he stepped off the staircase and onto the landing, his uncle stepped into the room. Also ready to go, Tommy Oliver wore a black t-shirt under a short-sleeved, khaki button up and a pair of khaki pants. The world's greatest Power Ranger was as ready for a day off as he could possibly have been.

"Well, aren't you adorable," Tommy spoke with a smile at the sight of his nephew/son. Austin blushed in embarrassment.

"Thanks, Uncle Tommy," the young Ranger replied. The Black Ranger exhaled at the sound of the moniker. After grabbing Tommy's baseball glove and a ball, the two headed out the front door and into Tommy's front yard and driveway. Walking up to his uncle's Jeep, Austin found himself hoisted up into the passenger-side front seat.

"Thanks!" he said as his uncle walked around the vehicle to the other side.

"No problem," Tommy responded as he climbed in. The Black Ranger started the engine and then drove off towards the nearest sporting goods store. Once inside, they proceeded to pick out a new baseball glove for Austin. After browsing the store's selection and trying on a few gloves, the Blue Ranger settled on a glove that was a mixture of black and brown. The glove was Rawlings brand with their patented basket-style web between the thumb and index finger. Satisfied with Austin's choice, Tommy led the boy to a checkout lane at the front of the store. While he fished through his wallet for the appropriate amount of bills, the cashier looked down at Austin.

"Cute kid, is he yours?" the woman asked. Tommy noticed Austin was turned away, looking at something else.

"Yeah, he is," the Black Ranger responded, smiling. He finally produced some money, and upon receiving his change, exited the store with his son/nephew. Climbing into the Jeep, the two headed off towards the park.

"I'm not deaf, you know," Austin suddenly commented as they exited the parking lot. Tommy noticed that he was completely serious, not acting like a kid in any way.

"What do you mean?" Tommy asked.

"I heard what you said to the cashier; were you just lying or is something going on?" Austin questioned. Tommy sighed as he spotted a Krispy Kreme Doughnuts store ahead, Austin's favorite breakfast eatery.

"You still hungry?" he asked.

Tommy pulled the Jeep out of the Krispy Kreme drive thru, making his way towards the parking lot's exit. He held a hot, glazed doughnut in his hand which already bore the mark of a large bite. Austin had a bag with two doughnuts in his lap, but he hadn't touched them yet.

"Okay, something's definitely up; you only buy these on special occasions because of your teacher's salary," Austin remarked. Tommy sighed and pulled onto the street, headed for the park. He hadn't intended for things to go this way, but his son was too smart to lie to.

"Did your parents ever talk to you about your birth?" he asked.

"The day after my 16th birthday they told me I was a test tube baby," Austin remarked dryly, "Why do you ask?" The Blue Ranger had been reaching for a doughnut, but stopped, expecting a shock.

"Well, as you should know, that means that they're your adopted parents," Tommy continued.

"Yeah, but Mom's still my birth mother; she did carry me for 9 months, after all," Austin responded.

"That's true," Tommy agreed.

"So, why are you bringing this up?" Austin asked, reaching into the bag again. This time he pulled out one of the sugary pastries.

"Don't take a bite; I don't want you to choke from shock," Tommy warned. Austin stopped; the chocolate-iced, cream-filled doughnut resting in his hand.

"Apparently, Hayley looked at your DNA when she was working on your morpher yesterday. She found it familiar and compared it to mine, which she'd used when creating my Brachio morpher," Tommy started.

"What are you saying?" Austin asked suspiciously. Forgetting what he was holding, he almost dropped his doughnut before regaining his grip on the pastry.

"Austin..." Tommy sighed, seemingly unable to continue. The Blue Ranger finally pieced everything together. Surprisingly, he smiled.

"Well, this is going to take some adjusting to, isn't it, dad?" Austin remarked. Tommy couldn't help but grin; he was glad his son had understood.

"Yes it is, son..."

* * *

The Black Ranger pulled his Jeep into a parking space at the park nearest his house, hesitating for a moment before killing the engine. Having finished his donuts, Austin climbed out of the vehicle and glanced around the area, taking in his surroundings. There were kids and adults of all ages, some on the playground, some playing sports, and some riding bikes and scooters. A little league game was being played on the baseball diamond, so Austin and his father made their way into the wide-open, multipurpose part of the park's field.

Tommy took the ball out of his glove and lightly tossed it to Austin. The Blue Ranger found it difficult to catch with his brand-new glove as the leather was stiff and needed to be broken in. Taking it off, he used both hands to force the glove closed, and then squeezed on so it was as flat as possible. Austin then forced the glove open the same way, hoping that the process would help break in the leather a little.

Satisfied, the Blue Ranger put the glove on and turned to throw the ball to his father. However, he was unfamiliar with his kid-sized arms and wasn't sure how much power to put behind his throw. Grossly underestimating his arm strength, Austin put everything he had behind his throw. The ball soared over his dad's head, landing a good distance behind him.

"Jeeze, you don't know your own strength, do you?" Tommy asked.

"Nope, not really," Austin answered, rubbing the back of his neck in embarassment.

"Well don't throw it so hard next time. I'll grab the ball, be right back," Tommy responded, turning and jogging towards the ball. Austin stood and waited, watching his dad run towards the distant, white speck.

"Hey, pipsqueak!" a voice shouted behind him. Austin turned to see a group of three boys standing behind him, probably between the ages of 12 and 14. Previously, he'd be the one intimidating them, but with his new size the tables had been turned.

"What?" Austin asked.

"You must be new around here, am I right?" the boy in the middle asked. Judging by his larger size and the fact that he was the one doing the talking, Austin figured he must be the leader.

"Yeah, I am," Austin answered. The leader nodded.

"I thought so. You see, this is our part of the field, but since you didn't know we'll spare you if you leave now," he asserted.

"And what if I stay?" the Blue Ranger questioned.

"Then we'll take pleasure in beating you to a pulp!" the boy on the left cut in.

"Quiet, Frankie!" the leader growled. Austin stood still, not moving an inch. The leader grinned.

"Well then, since you insist!" he said. He then ordered Frankie and the other boy to attack. Austin smirked; the two boys had no idea what they were up against.

Tommy returned from his short jog, baseball in hand, only to find Austin finishing up a fight- or rather, a beat down- with three other boys. The boys seemed to retreat, but then a large, hairy man walked up behind them. Tommy could smell things going sour, so he quickly jogged over to where his son stood.

Having defeated the three boys with little difficulty, Austin smiled as they backed away in shock. Suddenly, however, that smile was wiped away by the sight of a large man walking up behind them.

"Did you just beat up my boys?!" the man demanded.

"He did dad, he did!" the leader cried. The man growled angrily.

"Something wrong sir?" Tommy asked as he walked up suddenly. Austin sighed in relief.

"Your kid just beat my boys senseless; I think he needs to be taught a lesson!" the man answered.

"My son only fights in self defense; it sounds to me like 'your boys' attacked him," Tommy responded.

"Don't you accuse my kids of nothin!" the man responded angrily.

"Hey, I don't want to start anything," Tommy replied calmly.

"Well too bad, you just did!" the man shot back. He then attacked Tommy, but the Black Ranger sidestepped the heavy punch and flipped the man onto his back. The attacker got back to his feet and tried to take Tommy down again, but fared little better than he had in his first attempt. Realizing he was outmatched, the man and his boys retreated.

"Well, that was annoying," Tommy remarked.

"Yeah, I hate bullies," Austin responded.

"Anyway, let's get back to our game, alright?" Tommy asked. His son smiled and nodded, and soon the two were off playing catch again. Austin got used to his arm strength after a few more throws, plus his glove softened up after a while and became easier to use. The two Rangers enjoyed their game of catch, bonding for the first time as father and son. Having eaten breakfast late, Tommy and Austin stayed and threw the ball around until nearly two o'clock, at which time they finally decided to call it a day.

"Hey, I hear the Reefside Sharks play at six today, you wanna go?" Tommy asked as he and Austin entered the Jeep.

"Sure, dad; sounds fun!" the Blue Ranger responded, smiling. The Sharks were Reefside's baseball team, and they were pretty good, too.

Tommy drove the Jeep back to the house and the two hungry Olivers made lunch together. After a delicious lunch of grilled cheese and tomato soup, one of Austin's favorites, the boys split up for a bit of free time before the game. Tommy graded the quizzes from the previous week, meanwhile Austin played on his Xbox 360.

Once the time came to head for the ballpark, Austin and Tommy met outside and climbed in the Jeep again. Tommy drove towards Sharks' Ballpark, stopping once on the way to get gas. Once they finally arrived at the ballpark, Tommy paid for parking and pulled the Jeep into a spot about a block away. He and his son then got out and walked to the ticket office by the nearest entrance to buy tickets.

Once they were in possession of the all important pieces of paper, the Olivers headed for the ballpark entrance. One of the employees working at the front of the park scanned their tickets and then let the father and son inside. After getting over the initial awe that came from seeing the ballpark from the inside, Tommy turned to his eight year-old son.

"Okay, our seats are in the upper deck. Where's section 307?" Tommy asked.

"Edge of the infield on the first base side," Austin answered matter-of-factly.

"How'd you know that?" his father questioned, shocked.

"I looked at the ballpark map while you bought tickets," the boy explained. Tommy just nodded in understanding. He had always been impressed by his son's intelligence, and today was no different. Walking over to a nearby elevator, the boys headed upstairs to the upper concourse. After a short excursion through what was basically a massive hallway lined with stores, the boys came upon the entrance to section 307.

The two Olivers walked out into the stands, stopping for a moment as they looked out at the field from a whole new perspective. Eventually they made their way to row 2, seats 15 and 16. Sitting down, the Olivers took in the surprisingly nice view. Despite being in the upper deck, the view was rather close thanks to the low row number. Not only that, but the two Rangers could easily see the scoreboard and the two team lineup screens.

Before the game started, Tommy and Austin were treated to an amazing sight. The ballpark's retractable roof was opened, and special music was played as the gap in the middle slowly widened. Eventually the roof had fully retracted, leaving an awe inspiring view of the sky where steel rafters had been only minutes before. The two Rangers were left speechless

Tonight's matchup was between the Reefside Sharks and the Mariner Bay Rays, the latter of which coming from the same city as the Lightspeed Rescue Power Rangers. Tommy and his son enjoyed the baseball game, but grew hungry by the time the third inning rolled around. With Mariner Bay up to bat, the Olivers headed for the concession stands. Upon returning to their seats they carried a personal pizza for Austin, a 'sangwich' from Hungry Hill Sangwich for Tommy, and a souvenir diet coke to share.

The two had finished their food by the end of the fourth, and Tommy had returned to the concession area to find a trash can. Austin watched the top of the fifth with little interest as Reefside's ace, Sandy Johnston, fanned the 9th batter so far. The pitcher, jersey number 51, was en route to having more career strikeouts than almost any other pitcher in history.

Austin had taken a liking to the Sharks, especially Johnston. The pitcher had become his new favorite player. While he waited for the Sharks to come up to bat again- and for his dad to come back- he alternated between reading the game program his dad had bought him and watching Johnston dominate the Rays.

"Hey Austin, look up!" Tommy said when he suddenly returned. The younger Oliver put down his game program and turned to see his father holding a kid-sized #51 Sandy Johnston home jersey. The white and light blue garment surprised Austin, as this was even less expected than the doughnuts had been earlier.

"Woah..." was all the Blue Ranger could say.

"You like it?" Tommy asked.

"I love it, thanks dad!" Austin answered, jumping up and hugging his father. Tommy hugged back; happy his son liked the surprise gift. The fans near them suddenly started shouting, and the Olivers were alerted to the fact that they were on the jumbotron. The announcers on TV commented at on the heartwarming father-son moment as Austin blushed profusely. Putting his new jersey on over his overalls, Austin sat back down next to his father. The jumbotron video feed then returned to normal.

Austin enjoyed the rest of the game, watching the Sharks rout the Rays alongside his dad. During the 6th inning, Tommy bought his son a helmet sundae, which was basically soft serve ice cream in a bowl shaped like a Sharks helmet and topped with hot fudge. The Blue Ranger enjoyed the sweet treat, and was able to keep the helmet as a souvenir. Eventually the game ended in a 6-1 victory for the Sharks, capping off what Austin considered to be an awesome first baseball game.

After finally getting out of the ballpark, Tommy and Austin returned to the Jeep and drove home. It was only 9:00 when the Olivers arrived at Tommy's house, which got the Black Ranger thinking.

"Hey, Austin, it's only nine, want to watch a movie?" he asked.

"Sure, dad, Jurassic Park?" Austin suggested.

"That's perfect," Tommy agreed.

"Alright, you get it ready, I'll be right back," Austin responded, running upstairs. Tommy set about putting the movie in and getting the surround sound ready, meanwhile Austin hung up his new jersey and got ready for bed. He'd probably go straight to sleep after the movie, so he figured it was a good idea to be ready.

With the movie ready to go, Tommy sat down on the couch and waited. Not a few seconds later there was a low rumbling on the stairs. Austin came running downstairs, dragging a blanket and clad in just his t-shirt and dinosaur briefs. Walking over to the couch, the younger Oliver climbed up next to his father, snuggling up to him under the blanket.

"Ready for the movie?" Tommy asked with a smile.

"Yep!" Austin responded. The Black Ranger started the movie before wrapping his right arm around his son and relaxing. The two enjoyed watching the dinosaur-themed movie together, even pausing it at times to talk about the different species shown. Tommy was very knowledgeable, being a doctor in paleontology, and Austin was able to learn a lot from him. Towards the end, however, Austin's eyelids began to droop, and by the time the credits rolled he'd fallen asleep.

Tommy turned off the TV, DVD player, and surround sound system before picking up his son and carrying him across the way to the master bedroom. While only eight, Austin still carried a good deal of weight and Tommy wasn't about to risk both their lives' by carrying him up the stairs. Entering his room, the elder Oliver gently laid Austin down in his bed before quickly getting ready for bed himself. Once finished, Tommy climbed in bed with his son, wrapping an arm around the boy who'd already snuggled up against him. Before he could fall asleep, however, Tommy's phone chimed to notify him of an incoming message. Rolling over and grabbing the device, Tommy read what turned out to be an e-mail from his sister.

" _Thanks for letting me know about Austin; it's going to be kind of sad letting him go. I went ahead and filed the paperwork so he's now officially in your custody and his name is officially Austin Oliver. You two have fun together, and let me know if you need anything!_ "

Tommy smiled at the e-mail; he'd always liked having such an understanding sister. He typed up a quick thank-you message as a reply and then sent it before putting his phone back on the nightstand. Tired and in need of rest, Tommy Oliver rolled back over, put an arm over his son, closed his eyes and fell asleep.


	5. Diva in Distress

05 Diva in Distress

* * *

DISCLAIMER – I do NOT own Power Rangers, Dino Thunder, or any character other than Austin.

* * *

(Dino Thunder theme plays)

Monday morning had rolled around in Reefside, and the Rangers found themselves preparing for class. As Austin dressed, putting on a more teen-oriented outfit that did not include overalls, he had a thought. He realized that it would probably look odd to students if he showed up as a child, and yet his car was still in the parking lot. He and his father were going to have to talk about this.

Once he finished getting ready, Austin headed down to the front entryway and waited for his dad. Usually, the Blue Ranger would head to school whether Tommy was ready or not, but today he had no such luxury. Luckily, he didn't have to wait long; the Black Ranger walked in with his bag not five minutes later.

"Good morning, Austin," the elder Oliver remarked. Austin expected he'd be a bit thrown off by the fact that his son hadn't left without him, but strangely it seemed as if he'd expected it.

"Good morning, dad, we need to talk," the Blue Ranger responded.

"And why might that be?" Tommy asked.

"Don't you think it would look odd to the other students if I show up as a kid and yet my car is still in the parking lot?" Austin questioned. Tommy grinned.

"I imagine they'd be pretty confused. Of course, we can't have anyone asking questions, so I called in a favor and had this made for you," the Black Ranger responded. He produced an item that could have been mistaken for a credit card at first glance, but was in fact a sort of driver's license. Austin, not fazed in the least bit, took the item and looked it over. The Blue Ranger knew his father so well that he was rarely surprised by him.

The card looked like his old driver's license, except with marked differences. The color scheme was changed slightly, and the logo was some strange dog head with the letters SPD under it. The picture of his teenage face had been replaced by one of his younger self, which he found odd yet necessary. The license number had changed as well. He noticed that while his picture had changed, the birth date remained the same.

"So, what exactly is this?" Austin asked.

"That is an official Space Patrol Delta driver's license," Tommy answered.

"Space Patrol Delta?" Austin questioned.

"SPD is an intergalactic police organization that uses alien tech, and no one on Earth can make a counterfeit version of their licenses. One of their higher-ups owed me a favor, so I cashed it in," Tommy explained.

"Cool, but what if I get pulled over? I'd be in my teen form," Austin asked.

"Show the cop your old license," Tommy answered, grinning. Austin smiled.

"You have got to be the coolest dad ever," he remarked.

* * *

 **Reefside High**

* * *

Austin returned from his daily run around the track, ready for gym class to be over. Unlike just about everyone else, he had the energy of a child and hadn't sweated through his clothes during the run. He was still a little tired, though. As the Blue Ranger entered the locker room, he heard chuckling and wondered why. Making his way to his locker, he soon discovered the reason: his clothes were missing!

"Alright, who took my clothes?" he demanded.

"Over here, pipsqueak!" a voice said. Austin turned and saw two of the school's well-known bullies holding his clothes.

"What're you going to do now?" the other bully asked. Austin smiled.

"Nothing," he responded. Suddenly, Conner walked by on his way out and flipped the bullies onto their backs with little effort. He tossed Austin his clothes and then left the room.

"Lucky little whelp!" the bullies cried.

"Yeah, whatever," Austin responded. The boy then made his way to a bathroom stall to change in private. Normally he wasn't too shy about changing clothes in gym, but his new age had forced him to be. If anyone saw how childish his underwear was, he'd probably die of embarrassment.

Once he finished changing, Austin stored his gym uniform in his locker and headed to his next class. Luckily, his father's classroom was along the way, so he was able to report the bullies. Tommy assured his son that they'd be serving detention later that day. With the little gym class fiasco behind him, Austin went about the rest of his day as normally as possible.

* * *

 **Hayley's Cyberspace**

* * *

Kira stood onstage, singing one of the songs she had written. As she sang, she looked around. The building was bustling with customers, but the only people who seemed to be watching were her fellow Rangers. Finishing the song- or at least, as much of it as she'd written- Kira stepped down from the stage and over to her friends.

"Was that new? It sounded awesome!" Conner asked.

"Yeah, I've been working on it. I think there's something there," Kira responded.

"I'm telling you, if the superhero thing doesn't work out, you definitely have a musical career to fall back on," Ethan remarked.

"It's kinda hard to have a musical career when you can't even get people to listen to you play," Kira responded.

"I was listening to you, and I think you rock," Trent remarked, stopping by and delivering a couple drinks. Austin picked up one, a Dr. Pepper, and took a sip.

"I agree with Trent," he added.

"No one appreciates good music anymore; all you hear on the radio is that pop crap," Tommy remarked. His son nodded.

"Yeah, like what's her name, Kylee Styles?" Hayley chimed in.

"Hey, Kylee Styles has some good music," Conner cut in. Tommy grimaced, and his son mimicked him in smaller scale.

"Translatation: he think she's fine," Ethan remarked.

"No I don't!" Conner shot back. Everyone stared at him.

"Okay, yeah I do, but that has nothing to do with it," he admitted.

"Actually, Kylee used to be a pretty good songwriter, she was really sweet too. Now she's all about image," Kira remarked.

"You say that like you two are friends," Ethan remarked, looking questioningly at Kira.

"We used to be," Kira explained. Everyone exchanged looks of disbelief, except Austin and Tommy.

"What, it's true! We used to be in a band together, then she got discovered by some producer and now she's a pop diva…" Kira continued, her voice almost a mutter when she stopped.

"Well, stranger things have happened," Austin remarked. Tommy nodded in agreement.

"Oh come on, you don't honestly think I can believe that," Conner responded.

"Think what you want, it's true," Kira retorted.

"I don't care what Conner thinks; I believe you," Tommy replied. Suddenly, Ethan's eyes widened.

"Well, here's your chance to prove it; says here on her fansite that she's going to be in town to promote her new CD!" he remarked.

"Oh we are so going!" Conner added, "and since you two are such good buddies, maybe you can get me an autograph." Kira rolled her eyes. Suddenly, a man in a black suit walked in the front door, sporting dark blonde hair down to the base of his neck. Tommy seemed transfixed by him as Trent walked over to him. Tommy followed, walking up to the man.

"Anton Mercer, I can't believe it," he remarked.

"Tommy, Tommy Oliver, how have you been?" Mercer asked in response, shaking Tommy's hand.

"You know my dad?" Trent asked. Tommy looked at Trent, the two exchanging confused looks.

"Your dad? I had no idea, I mean, your last name is-," Tommy started.

"Is Fernandez," Mercer said, cutting him off, "It's a long and complicated story, Tommy, and more importantly, how are you?" Suddenly, Hayley walked up.

"Trent, can you come and help at table 3? There's been a bit of a mochacino incident…" she asked. Trent nodded and walked off with her. Tommy returned his attention to Mercer.

"I don't understand; I thought you were dead. I mean, the island was destroyed," he remarked.

"I was lucky, Tommy; from the looks of it, we both were," Mercer responded.

"Why didn't you call? Send a message?" Tommy asked.

"Well, you know what it's like, starting over; trying to get your bearings," Mercer responded.

"Yeah, I do," Tommy replied. He leaned over Mercer's shoulder to speak in secret.

"Anton, the experiments we were working on; some crazy things have been happening, we need to figure some things out," he said.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. Look, I'll clear some time next week if that's alright with you," Mercer responded.

"What?" Tommy questioned.

"It's good seeing you again, Tommy," Mercer remarked, "Truly, it is." He then turned and exited the premises. Tommy just shook his head in wonder.

* * *

 **Reefside Mall**

* * *

Kylee Styles rode down an escalator towards a booth where she was to answer questions and sign autographs. A crowd gathered around her, and Conner and Kira were amongst them. The two Rangers made their way to the front of the crowd, stepping up in front of the table as Kylee nonchalantly commented about the crowd, calling her fans 'leeches'.

"Go ahead, ask her," Conner said, encouraging Kira. Kylee turned and looked at the two.

"Who do you want it made out to?" she asked. She assumed they wanted an autograph, which was half right.

"Just write 'to my old friend Kira Ford'," the Yellow Ranger remarked. Kylee looked up in shock.

"Kira? Wow! I haven't seen you in ages!" she exclaimed, hugging Kira awkwardly, "I didn't know you were a fan of mine."

"Actually, it's my friend who's the fan," Kira responded.

"It's Conner, with –er," Conner added, shaking Kylee's hand.

"Did Kira tell you that she and I used to sing together?" Kylee asked.

"Yeah, I just didn't believe her at first," the Red Ranger responded.

"Well it was nothing professional, just silly teen act stuff," Kylee remarked. Kira frowned.

"I thought we had some pretty good songs," she remarked.

"Yeah, at the time they were great! But hey, at some point, you gotta grow up," Kylee responded. Suddenly, Cassidy- the school reporter- shoved her way through with her press pass and started interviewing. Kylee got so absorbed that she forgot about Conner and Kira. The Yellow Ranger sighed; if it weren't for Conner she'd have already left.

* * *

 **Mesogog's Lair**

* * *

"Elsa, I have a project in mind," Mesogog remarked, walking up next to her in front of some chemicals on a shelved wall.

"I bet it's utterly gruesome," Elsa responded, grinning. Mesogog browsed the chemicals.

"Only if you think sucking the life out of a miserable human being is gruesome," he replied. Elsa seemed a bit shocked, but went along with things as her master prepared a new monster.

* * *

 **Reefside Mall**

* * *

"Well, you got to meet the famous superstar," Kira remarked.

"Look, if you're mad because I didn't believe you about Kylee, I'm sorry. It's just, you're all… and she's all…" Conner responded vaguely.

"What? I'm what?" Kira asked, "You know what, forget it. Maybe I don't know Kylee after all." Suddenly, the pop diva was heard screaming from the parking garage. Conner and Kira ran up the escalator and engaged a monster that was attacking Kylee. However, they became too occupied with the Tyrannodrones, and the monster was able to suck the youth out of Kylee and escape. Kira looked on in horror.

* * *

 **Dino Thunder HQ**

* * *

Having arrived back at HQ, Conner watched with the other Rangers as the monster sucked the youth out of various passersby.

"A donkey that can suck the youth out of people? That is wrong in so many ways…" Ethan remarked.

"Hey, maybe we can use that to make Austin older again!" Conner remarked. Austin looked horrified at the suggestion.

"Conner, think about it. These people are all ending up as senior citizens; I don't think that course of action would work well," Tommy remarked, "Where's Kira?"

"She's taking Kylee back to the Cyberspace; poor girl's having a meltdown seeing herself all shriveled up. I gotta admit, it was kinda brutal," Conner answered.

"We'll talk about respect for our elders later, right now we got something to deal with," Tommy remarked. The boys nodded, and lined up side-by-side to morph.

"Let's do it!" Tommy cried. The Black, Blue, Red and Green Rangers activated their morphers.

"Dino Thunder, power up! Ha!" they cried together. Morphing, the four Rangers headed out and engaged the monster, or Donkeyvac as they called him. The monster was terrorizing a citizen when they arrived.

"The boys are back in town!" Austin cried. Donkeyvac turned around in shock, and quickly engaged the Rangers. The guys noticed Kira's absence, but it wasn't much of a problem. Then, just as the monster gained the upper hand, Cassidy ran up with her lackey and tried to interview it. They were both promptly relieved of their youth.

* * *

 **Hayley's Cyberspace**

* * *

Kira sat with the now-wrinkly Kylee in a couple of armchairs. Kylee moaned endlessly about her wrinkles.

"My career is over…" she whined.

"Come on, Kylee, I'm sure someone will find a way to reverse this," Kira assured her.

"But I was supposed to go on _You Request It_ tonight..." Kylee responded.

"Just cause you look a little older doesn't mean you can't sing," Kira remarked.

"Go on national television like this? I must look at least… 40..." Kylee responded. Kira's bracelet beeped.

"Look, I gotta go," she remarked.

"But you're my friend, you can't leave me like this!" Kylee protested. Kira sighed.

* * *

 **Back at the Battle**

* * *

Tommy and the boys fought off Donkeyvac, when suddenly Zeltrax showed up. The armored villain separated Tommy from the other Rangers.

"We have a score to settle, Dr. Oliver," Zeltrax remarked.

"I told you, I have no idea what you're talking about," Tommy responded. The two then engaged in battle. Meanwhile, Donkeyvac ran off, and the other three Rangers were forced to pursue it.

* * *

 **Hayley's Cyberspace**

* * *

Kira continued trying to console Kylee, who kept complaining. Little progress was being made, and Kylee still seemed as selfish as ever. After one particularly arrogant comment and another beep from her bracelet, Kira couldn't continue. She pulled out a CD.

"This is the Kylee I used to know; she cared about other people and not just herself," she remarked, handing Kylee the CD, "Sorry, but I gotta go." The Yellow Ranger ran out of the Cyberspace and headed for the battle. Kylee sighed and held the CD up to Hayley, who happened to be nearby.

"Can you play this for me?" she asked. Hayley nodded and took the CD, playing it. An old recording of Kylee and Kira singing together played.

"Now this I like," Hayley remarked. Kylee was too deep in thought to notice.

* * *

 **Back at the Battle**

* * *

Tommy and Zeltrax were having an intense battle, the villain still alluding to some kind of grudge. The Black Ranger had no idea what he was talking about, and simply continued to fend him off expertly. Finally, he sent Zeltrax spiraling to the ground. The villain dropped his sword and landed on all fours.

"Give it up, Zeltrax!" Tommy cried.

Meanwhile, the other three Rangers had Donkeyvac cornered on a tennis court, and were prepared to finish him.

"You've got nowhere to run, Donkeyvac!" Conner exclaimed.

"Do I?" it questioned. Then it fired some kind of projectile from its nose, blasting Conner and Ethan to the ground in pain while Austin narrowly dodged.

"It's over, Rangers!" Donkeyvac cried. Suddenly, an ear-piercing scream blasted the monster back. Austin walked up to the approaching Kira, seemingly unaffected. Conner and Ethan followed, clutching their ears.

"My ears!" Ethan remarked.

"Sorry guys, shoulda given you the heads up on the Ptera scream," Kira remarked

"You think?" Ethan questioned, annoyed.

"Hey, why aren't you clutching your head Austin?" Conner asked. The Blue Ranger grinned.

"When you live with my father, you get a sense for when something unexpected is about to happen. Thus, I was ready for Kira's scream," he explained. The others nodded, accepting the explanation. Meanwhile, Donkeyvac got back to his feet.

"Excellent, more youth for me!" he cried at the sight of Kira.

"I don't think so," she responded, morphing. At first, the monster seemed to gain the upper hand, but then Kira grabbed a couple of tennis balls and a racket.

"Heads up!" she cried, smashing them both towards Donkeyvac. The monster continued to fire it's strange nose projectiles at her, but then the two balls landed in its large nostrils.

"My nose!" it cried, the projectiles exploding before leaving his body. This knocked him back, and allowed the Rangers to combine their weapons.

"Z-Rex blaster!" they cried. Firing the large gun, they destroyed Donkeyvac. Unfortunately, Mesogog and Elsa had other plans, using their hydro regenerator to bring the monster back in a gigantic form.

"Dr. O, it's time for heavy metal!" Kira spoke using the morpher communications.

"You got it! Brachiozord, now!" Tommy responded. The massive Brachiozord appeared immediately, sending out the Rangers' four zords. Soon they were in the cockpit of the Megazord. Tommy quickly dispatched Zeltrax, forcing him to retreat through an invisportal. Then he joined the others in the Megazord, the Brachio armor already in place.

"Super suction!" Donkeyvac cried, sucking the Megazord up to him and causing damage.

"Let's sink our teeth into this guy!" Conner cried. Austin raised an eyebrow as Conner used the T-Rex jaws in the Megazord's chest to bite Donkeyvac's nose.

"Ow, not the nose!" Donkeyvac cried, falling back.

"Ptera rang!" Kira cried. The Megazord threw the weapon at Donkeyvac, and it hit square in the monster's nose before bouncing back.

"Brachio blast!" Tommy exclaimed. The Brachio armor glowed, and a ball of energy formed in the Megazord's T-Rex jaws, firing at Donkeyvac. The youth-stealing monster exploded, dying for the second and final time. As the Rangers celebrated in the cockpit, the stolen youth returned to all those Donkeyvac had taken from. This raised a question from the Rangers, but it would have to be answered later.

In the meantime, the group returned inconspicuously to Hayley's Cyberspace and returned to their normal duties. Kira still had another half hour of song playing for the day, so things weren't through yet. The Yellow Ranger took the stage, and tested the mic before speaking.

"I wrote this one with a friend a long time ago. I hope you like it," she said. Then she began to play. Hayley and the other Rangers looked on, smiles on their faces. Suddenly, Kylee appeared and took the stage as well, singing along on a second mic. The song continued and finished out beautifully, after which the two friends were applauded loudly.

* * *

 **Dino Thunder HQ**

* * *

Later that evening, Tommy, Austin and Hayley met in the Rangers' base. There was a peculiar issue on their minds, and they needed to get to the bottom of it.

"I still don't know why Kylee got her youth back when we destroyed Donkeyvac, and yet I stayed this age when we blew up the last monster," Austin remarked.

"Not to mention, why didn't the fact that you were morphed stop the effects?" Tommy questioned.

"I think I may have an answer," Hayley remarked, making a few final keystrokes on the computer. Then she turned to face the Olivers.

"Using a small fragment recovered from the last monster, I was able to determine that unlike Donkeyvac, it was its chemical makeup that caused Austin's change. Therefore, its destruction did nothing to stop the process, and whether or not he was morphed didn't matter. Unfortunately, the fragment is so small that we can't use it to reverse the effects," she explained.

"Well, I've pretty much accepted my new life anyway," Austin responded.

"Good. I'm going to store the monster piece just in case. Who knows, it may come in handy," Hayley replied.

"Alright," Tommy said, looking at his watch, "Austin, you better head off to bed, it's getting late." The young Ranger nodded and headed upstairs for a good night's sleep.

"You know, I kinda feel sorry for the little guy," Hayley remarked.

"I would be too, but I'm pretty sure he's starting to enjoy this," Tommy responded, chuckling.

"That's good to hear, I wouldn't want him to suffer," Hailey replied, smiling. Tommy nodded.

Hayley left shortly after her little discovery, so Tommy headed upstairs to the kitchen for a drink of water. As he stepped onto the room's cool, smooth tile, he spotted Austin with a small cup in his hands. It seemed that the two Olivers thought alike. Tommy grabbed a glass and filled it up, taking a sip before Austin finished his and put the cup in the sink.

"Good night, dad," the Blue Ranger spoke up. Tommy put down his glass and dropped to a knee, hugging Austin.

"Good night, son."


	6. Game On

06 Game On

* * *

DISCLAIMER I do NOT own Power Rangers, Dino Thunder, or any character other than Austin.

* * *

(Dino Thunder theme plays)

"Trent, I got another order for you!" Hayley remarked. The hard-working waiter quickly walked over to the bar. Hayley had loaded a tray to the edge with drinks, and Trent did his best to balance it as he started walking around delivering them.

"DAMN IT!" Ethan cried suddenly, standing up and sending his chair a few feet backwards. Trent was caught up in the slide and lost his balance, dropping the tray and almost falling over. Ethan looked concernedly at him.

"Sorry, I got a little distracted. By the way, it's just a game; they can't hear you," the waiter remarked as he got up. Ethan just shook his head and returned to his game.

"Everything okay Ethan? Ethan?" Hayley said, trying to get the Green Ranger's attention. Finally she poked him, pulling his mind away from the game.

"Ugh, Wizard Wood," Hayley remarked, seeing the game he was playing.

"The first gamer to conquer the whole wizard world and crack the secret code wins the right to test the next game in the series. How crazy is that?" Ethan explained.

"Yeah, I read about it. If anyone can do it it's you. Just try not to mess up Trent again, okay?" she asked.

"I'll try not to," Ethan answered apologetically. He then returned to his game.

* * *

 **In the woods**

* * *

Tommy, Austin, Conner and Kira stood in the forest, preparing for Power Ranger training. The red, blue and yellow raptor cycles sat idly, ready for use if necessary.

"Guys, where's Ethan?" Tommy asked.

"Sorry, we should've grabbed him from the cyber café," Kira answered.

"What's the big deal, anyway? It's just practice," Conner remarked. Austin rolled his eyes.

"Training is just as important as the real thing. You never know when you're gonna get attacked," Tommy responded, a little annoyed. As if on cue, Zeltrax appeared and sent Tommy flying into the other Rangers.

"Couldn't have planned that better," he remarked once he'd regained his balance. The Rangers engaged Zeltrax and the drones, and as usual Tommy was singled out. The un-morphed Rangers put up a good fight, but were knocked back to the cycles.

"How do you feel about a ride in the country?" Kira questioned.

"Great day for it, even if Conner's here," Austin responded tauntingly. The Red Ranger rolled his eyes. Regardless of what Conner thought, the whole conversation was code, and with a permissive nod from Tommy, the four Rangers prepared to morph.

"Dino Thunder, power up!" they cried together. Morphing, the red, blue, yellow and black Power Rangers engaged Zeltrax and the drones. Getting beat back now that Tommy was in Ranger form, Zeltrax retreated through an invisiportal. The drones followed soon after, leaving Conner and Kira bewildered.

"That was seriously random," Conner remarked as the Rangers met up.

"Probably a diversion," Austin deduced.

"He's right, you guys go get Ethan and meet me at the lab," Tommy instructed.

"Okay," Conner responded.

"You got it!" Kira added.

* * *

 **Hayley's Cyberspace**

* * *

"You're sure you know how to lock up?" Hayley questioned.

"Yeah, as soon as I get this dude, I'm outta here," Ethan responded, still playing the same game from earlier. Nodding, Hayley turned to leave the café.

"I know I'm gonna regret this..." she muttered. Once Hayley left, Ethan pulled out a device and began hacking the game to get the code he'd mentioned earlier. A few minutes later, a monster created by Mesogog appeared in the alley way and looked in through a window, spotting Ethan.

"Game on!" it exclaimed, firing some sort of electromagnetic attack through the window at Ethan. The glass didn't shatter, but the attack shorted out Ethan's device. The Green Ranger looked over his stuff in confusion until a blue cloud started emanating from the computer. The Green Ranger could barely scream before he was sucked inside.

Ethan found himself in some kind of forest, and suddenly he was approached by what appeared to be a wizard in purple. The wizard tried confusingly to identify where Ethan was from, not realizing that the Green Ranger was from another world. Having been unsuccessful, the man gallivanted away, leaving Ethan stunned.

* * *

"Think he's still here?" Conner asked.

"Probably; he was glued to that Wizard Wood game all morning. Not the best choice if I do say so myself," Austin remarked. Kira rolled her eyes at the nerd-speak. Suddenly, an evil laugh sounded from behind the three Rangers, and they turned to see Mesogog's new monster.

"If you're looking for your friend, you're too late; unless you want to join him!" the monster taunted. The three Rangers engaged him, and Austin managed to duck away thanks to his small size.

"Dad, we found one of Mesogog's monsters, but no Ethan," he remarked.

"I'm getting a reading on him; keep looking while I try to pinpoint the signal," Tommy responded.

"You got it, dad!" Austin replied. He and the other two Rangers continued fighting the monster, doing the best they could to hold it off.

* * *

Ethan followed the wizard all the way to his house, but the wizard pointed out a 'No Gamers' sign and shut his door. Ethan was then surrounded by strange creatures somewhat like Tyrannodrones. Ethan began fighting them Ranger-style, and, unbeknownst to him, the wizard watched from his window. The Green Ranger was knocked down eventually, and the wizard retreated inside.

* * *

"See if you can draw his fire; I'll check inside!" Kira cried.

"Make it fast; I don't know how long we can hold him!" Conner responded. Kira nodded and rushed inside as the boys drew the monster's attention.

Inside, Kira walked up to the computer Ethan had been using. For a second she wondered where he'd gone, but then her question was answered when Ethan's device sucked her inside the game. She seemed to fall from the sky, landing hard on the ground next to Ethan.

"Welcome to my world!" Ethan remarked as they got up and began fighting off the strange beings again.

"What are these things?" Kira asked.

"Triptoids; they're kind of like Tyrannodrones, just stronger," Ethan responded.

"Have you tried to morph?" Kira questioned.

"What'll that do?" Ethan responded.

"Keep us alive long enough to find a way out!" Kira explained.

"Good enough for me!" Ethan replied. The two morphed on the spot, gaining momentum in the fight and really beating down the drones.

* * *

Back in the real world, Conner and Austin fought off the monster until it overwhelmed them and sent the former flying through the door to the café. He smashed into Ethan's device, and seconds later the café was full of strange creatures being fought by Ethan and Kira.

"What's going on here?" Conner questioned.

"Don't ask!" Kira responded.

"Waaah!" Austin screamed outside. A loud thud was heard, and all three Rangers' faces went pale. The Rangers forced the brawl outside, and Conner morphed to help out. As the fight continued, the Triptoids fled. Left outmatched, the monster retreated through an invisiportal.

"Where's Austin?" Kira questioned.

"I don't know; I heard him scream and then there was a loud thud," Conner responded.

"Over there!" Ethan cried, pointing at the opposite alleyway. Running across the front of the café, the three Rangers stopped next to Austin. The un-morphed Blue Ranger was laid out on the ground and clutching his midsection in pain. Kira gently helped him to his feet, and made sure he was steady on his own.

"What happened, man?" Conner questioned.

"The monster overwhelmed me. I went for a kick, and it grabbed my foot and flung me against this wall," Austin explained. With the Blue Ranger okay for now, the four Power Rangers powered down and walked inside the café to check Ethan's computer.

"Man, my machine's never gonna come back from this one," the Green Ranger said, looking over his device.

"So, what exactly happened in there?" Conner asked.

"Man, I don't know where to begin," Ethan responded.

"The truth is always best told from thine heart," a voice said suddenly. The Rangers turned to see Ethan's wizard friend standing there.

"Oh man..." the Green Ranger groaned dismally.

* * *

 **Dino Thunder HQ**

* * *

Hayley and Tommy sat at the main computer, the former working on Ethan's device so she could send the wizard back home. The four younger Rangers sat in chairs facing Tommy, who was rather frustrated with Ethan.

"Let me get this straight; you were so caught up in a video game that you let a monster sneak up behind you?" the Black Ranger remarked.

"It's a pretty tight game Dr. O," Ethan responded.

"Or so you think," Austin muttered, rolling his eyes. Connor chuckled.

"You have to keep your head in this game at all times. I know it can be hard, and even dangerous too-," Tommy started. The wizard, annoyed with Tommy's boring speech, used his magic to get rid of the Black Ranger's mouth. Tommy made muffled noises for a minute, rather annoyed.

"Dude, what the heck?" Austin exclaimed, glaring at the wizard.

"What?" the man responded.

"Dude, just give him his mouth back," Ethan responded.

"Can we wait till after midterms?" Conner questioned.

"Shut up, Conner" Kira responded. Under a lot of pressure, the wizard reluctantly gave Tommy his mouth back.

"Okay, let's not do that again," Tommy remarked. Austin nodded in agreement.

"I'm really sorry, Dr. O," Ethan responded.

"I know you are," Tommy replied.

"I've definitely learned my lesson," Ethan remarked. Just then, Hayley cut in and informed the Rangers that there was a good chance she'd be able to send the wizard back into the game.

"Okay, while Hayley works on that we'd better deal with the monster on the loose. Kira, see if you can locate him on the monitors," Tommy remarked. Kira nodded and got to work. About fifteen minutes later, the monster was sighted.

"I found him, Dr. O!" Kira remarked.

"Okay," Tommy responded, turning to the wizard, "You stay put until we can figure out how to send you back. Conner, Austin, come with me!" The boys nodded and morphed, going with Dr. O to face the monster. Ethan and Kira stayed behind to help Hayley finish up.

* * *

 **In the city**

* * *

"I'm back!" the monster cried as the three Rangers engaged it. The Rangers attacked, but were knocked back. Austin fell to the ground clutching his midsection in pain. Suddenly, a shadow passed over the battle and a loud cry was heard. Ethan and Kira, already morphed, jumped down from the Pterazord and blasted the monster back. With the monster prone, the Rangers began combining their weapons.

"Here!" Austin cried, tossing the others his Stega Sword. Tommy caught it and took his son's place, forming the Z-Rex blaster.

"FIRE!" he shouted. The powerful weapon blew the monster to shreds. Unfortunately, the fight wasn't over; with Mesogog's help the monster returned at massive size.

"Hayley, we need back-up!" Conner said into his bracelet.

"On it!" she responded. Seconds later the Brachiozord was there, and the others rushed out of it. The Megazord was formed, but Austin remained on the ground, powering down and backing away from the fight. Meanwhile, Tommy angrily led the fight against the monster. After a few hits, the monster struck back.

"Time to end this!" Tommy cried. He exchanged the Tyranno tail for the Stega Sword attachment and then dealt the monster a powerful blow. Critically damaged, the beast exploded, ending the fight. The Rangers then exited the Megazord before splitting it up and sending the zords back to their hiding places. The four Rangers then rushed over to Austin.

"You guys meet Hayley at the café and get that wizard back in the game. I'm taking Austin to the hospital," Tommy ordered. The three teens nodded and headed off straightaway.

* * *

 **Hayley's Cyberspace**

* * *

Ethan, Kira, and Hayley stood next to the computer the Green Ranger had been using, with the device hooked back up to it. The wizard stood next to the computer, about to be sent home.

"So, I presume you're still looking for that secret code?" the wizard inquired.

"Yeah, but I think I'll work on it the old fashioned way; one key at a time," Ethan responded.

"Ah, a good answer. Tis the right one," the wizard responded. With that, he was whisked away into the game.

"Alright, let's head back," Hayley remarked. Ethan nodded, having learned his lesson.

* * *

 **Reefside Children's Hospital**

* * *

Tommy arrived in the hospital's ER and quickly got Austin some attention. The young boy was taken back to a room and examined so the doctor could figure out what needed to be done.

"So what's wrong with him?" Tommy asked after the doctor examined his son.

"Well, I'm not positive yet, but I think some x-rays are in order," the man answered.

"Alright. I'm gonna grab a water from the vending machine in the waiting room, I'll be right back," Tommy responded. The doctor nodded and then the Black Ranger left the room. Meanwhile, Austin was prepared for his x-rays.

Tommy returned from his irritatingly long excursion to the waiting room to find that the x-rays were already done. Austin lay on the room's bed, clad in only his dinosaur underwear. The doctor was wrapping up his midsection, an obvious sign of an injury.

"So, what's wrong with him?" Tommy asked. The doctor looked up, and upon identifying Tommy, began to speak.

"He has three fractured ribs and some bad bruising on his back and chest. I advise against strenuous physical activity for at least a week, preferably two. If he needs a doctor's note I'll gladly write him one," the doctor explained.

"Alright, thanks doc," Tommy responded. The doctor nodded as he finished up with Austin. Now bandaged up, the Blue Ranger was told he could get dressed again. Tommy reasoned that he'd had to wear a hospital gown for the x-rays, hence the lack of clothing. Austin did as he was told, and soon the Olivers were on their way home.

* * *

 **The Oliver's house**

* * *

Tommy pulled his Jeep into the driveway AKA front yard of his house about half an hour later. Austin was lying down in the back seat, his shoes and pants in the floorboard. He'd have been asleep except the road to the house was dirt and the bumpiness had irritated his ribs.

"Dad, I'm tired..." he remarked, sitting up as the Jeep came to a stop. Tommy checked his watch and found that it was just past seven-thirty. The Black Ranger blinked in shock; he must've lost track of time worrying about his son.

"I see that, but we've got to tell the others you're okay and get some food in you, first. Then you can go to bed," Tommy responded. Austin nodded tiredly before being picked up by his father. Tommy grabbed his son's shoes and pants in one arm before walking inside the house. Dropping the loose garments on the staircase, Tommy carried his son down into the Dino Thunder base. The Olivers' comrades swarmed them immediately.

"Is he okay? What did the doctors say?" Hayley asked.

"He's got three fractured ribs and some bruises," Tommy responded. His 3'6" son was then snatched away by Kira.

"Oh, you poor thing..." she remarked, holding Austin as if he were a small child.

"Kira..." Austin moaned, embarrassed. Conner and Ethan laughed.

"Sorry; I'm just glad you're okay," Kira responded.

"It's alright, Kira," Austin replied.

"Now, the doctor did say Austin should avoid strenuous activity for a week or two, so he'll have to sit on the sidelines for now," Tommy remarked.

"Let's just hope nothing serious happens before he's healed," Hayley responded. Tommy nodded. Hayley and the teens stayed a little longer, chatting with Tommy and Austin. The younger Oliver seemed to have woken up a bit since the car ride home and actively participated in the conversation. All the while, a faint blush could be seen on his face due to his lack of pants.

Eventually, Hayley headed home, and the teens followed soon after. Tommy then cooked a quick meal for he and his son. The two Olivers then ate together before Austin headed up to bed. Stopping at the bottom of the stairs, the underwear-clad Blue Ranger turned to his dad, who was walking towards his own room.

"Good night, dad," he remarked. Tommy stopped and gave his son a hug.

"Good night, son."


	7. Birthday Blues

07 Birthday Blues

* * *

DISCLAIMER I do NOT own Power Rangers, Dino Thunder, or any character other than Austin.

* * *

(Dino Thunder theme plays)

After a brief trip to the South Pole mid-fight, the Rangers- minus Austin- have defeated a massive, teleporting monster. Back in Mesogog's lab, Elsa and Zeltrax are disheartened as they watch the battle on a monitor.

"You gonna tell him, or am I?" Elsa asked.

"I cannot bear to bring my master such bad news again," Zeltrax responded. Before Elsa could retort, her partner in crime suddenly came up with the idea to go inside the machine they used to make monsters to see if it would make him stronger. She begrudgingly helped him out, and soon Zeltrax stepped out out after the machine finished.

"So?" Elsa questioned.

"I feel the same," Zeltrax responded.

"But I feel alive!" another voice added. A red and gold monster similar to Zeltrax emerged from the machine, kneeling in front of steel-colored villain.

"Father, I live to serve you," it continued. Zeltrax and Elsa exchanged looks of complete surprise.

* * *

 **Hayley's Cyberspace**

* * *

Trent found himself working an especially busy shift at Hayley's Cyberspace one day while the tech genius hung what appeared to be party decorations. The young waiter bobbed and weaved through the café, delivering drinks to all the teenage patrons. Meanwhile, Ethan was pranking the school reporter, Cassidy, and Kira was preparing for her next performance.

Suddenly and without warning, Anton Mercer strode through the front door of the establishment. Stopping, he glanced around the café with a look of disdain. Trent walked over to him, wondering why his father had come to his workplace again.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"I thought I'd give you a ride home; you ready?" Mercer questioned.

"Dad, I'm kinda in the middle of work," Trent responded.

"Listen, I don't mean this to sound... elitist, but don't you think a managerial position would suit you better? I mean, waiting tables doesn't exactly scream Mercer," Anton remarked.

"Dad, I like working here, and besides, I'm in high school. This is what kids do," Trent interjected.

"Right, well let me think about it and maybe I can come up with a compromise we'll both like. See you at home," Mercer responded. Trent was left bewildered by the comment as his dad left the café.

* * *

Later, Trent exited the Cyberspace after work, accompanied by the Olivers. Tommy had gladly agreed to give Trent a ride home, so they were heading out to his Jeep. Austin, who walked silently at Tommy's side, no longer had bandages around his ribs. However, he was still recovering from his injury and wouldn't be joining his fellow Rangers again for another few days.

"Thanks again for the ride, Dr. O," Trent remarked.

"No problem. You know, I've been wondering; all those years working with Mercer and he never mentioned he had a son," Tommy responded.

"He didn't. A few years ago he and my real parents were working on a dig, and there was a cave in. My parents never made it out," Trent explained.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Tommy replied as the group climbed into his Jeep. A few minutes later, Tommy spotted something approaching quickly behind the Jeep.

"Trent, you see that?" Tommy questioned.

"The big, gold guy running 50 mph behind us? Yeah!" Trent responded, worried. Tommy slammed on the brakes and the strange being slammed into the back of the Jeep before falling onto its back. Hopping out of the Jeep, Tommy and Trent cautiously approached the golden humanoid.

"Man, my insurance company is never gonna buy this," Tommy remarked. Suddenly, the being stood up.

"Which one of you is Dr. Oliver?" it asked.

"That'd be me," Tommy answered.

"Prepare to be destroyed!" the being cried.

"Trent, get back!" Tommy ordered as the monster attacked. Tommy fought off the blows, but was eventually knocked back. Taking cover behind the Jeep, he called for backup with his black Dino Gem bracelet.

"Let me try!" Trent said, attempting to fend off the monster. He was unsuccessful, but thankfully the other three Rangers arrived and blasted the monster back with their Raptor Cycles.

"You guys okay?" the Red Ranger asked. Tommy nodded, avoiding talking to the Rangers so that Trent wouldn't find out their secret. Suddenly and without warning, Zeltrax appeared beside the monster and forced it to retreat with him through an invisiportal.

"Is he gone?" a voice suddenly asked. Everyone turned to see Austin peeking out of the Jeep's back seat. Tommy knew immediately that his son was just putting on an act; the younger Oliver was horrible at lying.

"Yeah, thanks to the Power Rangers," the elder Oliver answered awkwardly.

"Drive safely!" the Green Ranger remarked. He and the other two Rangers then sped off on their raptor cycles. Climbing back in the Jeep, Tommy shook off the awkward encounter and took Trent the rest of the way home.

* * *

 **The Olivers' house**

* * *

Saturday morning had come, and with it a special day. Austin excitedly made his way downstairs in just a t-shirt and briefs, smiling at the thought of breakfast. As he neared the kitchen, a familiar smell wafted into his nostrils. The younger of the two Olivers increased his pace, arriving in the kitchen and skidding to a stop by the dining table. Resting on top of it was a box of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts.

"Happy birthday, son," Tommy smiled, walking over with two glasses of milk. A pair of plates already sat on the table, ready for use.

"Thanks, dad!" Austin responded. Once his father set the glasses down, Austin hugged him tightly. Tommy picked up his son's small frame and hugged him back, the younger Oliver wrapping his arms around his father's neck. This was the first of Austin's birthdays that the father and son would get to celebrate together, so it was very important to them.

Eventually, the two Oliver's separated and sat down; Austin scooting his chair over so it was right next to his dad. The father and son ate happily together, but their fun was suddenly broken up by a frantic knocking at the front door. Tommy walked over to the large hunk of wood, and was shocked to see Hayley outside with a distressed expression on her face.

"It's Hayley, go pull on some pants!" the elder Oliver exclaimed. Having just finished his second doughnut, Austin quickly ran upstairs. Meanwhile, Tommy let Hayley inside.

"You're never gonna believe this!" she fumed immediately, showing Tommy a notice she'd received. The Black Ranger hastily scanned the important details and then looked up in horror. As of the next day, Anton Mercer would be Hayley's new landlord. Only God knew what would happen to the Cyberspace then.

"Yeah, that was my reaction. I can't believe Mercer did this," Hayley remarked.

"I have a friend at City Hall who might be able to help us. Get Trent while I call other Rangers, and then we'll head over there," Tommy responded.

"No problem," Hayley replied, pulling out her phone. Just then, Austin returned downstairs wearing a blue American Eagle tee under a blue, plaid button up and a pair of black jeans.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Anton Mercer bought Hayley's Cyberspace," Tommy answered worriedly. Austin's eyes widened in shock.

"Alright, I got a hold of Trent; he'll be waiting for you outside his house. Oh, and it wasn't his idea, Tommy; Mercer acted alone," Hayley cut in.

"Okay, I'll pick him up first. Austin, come with me; we'll get Ethan too. Hayley, tell Conner to pick up Kira," Tommy responded.

"Remind me again why I can't take my car?" Austin questioned.

"Because I saw it leaking oil and it's being fixed," Tommy responded.

"I still don't know how a car with only 50,000 miles on it already has an oil leak..." Austin muttered.

"Alright guys, I'll call Conner and try to stall Mercer; good luck!" Hayley remarked. Then she handed Tommy the notice and headed out the door. Taking a deep breath, the Black Ranger grabbed his keys and left the house with his son.

About half an hour later, all five Rangers and Trent met up outside city hall. Tommy had made a call on the way, so his friend- a councilwoman- was waiting for them outside. Just as they met up with her, however, Zeltrax and the monster- known as Goldenrod- appeared atop the steps leading to the building.

"Austin, Trent, get the councilwoman out of here!" Tommy ordered. The two boys quickly got the councilwoman out of harm's way, taking shelter behind the building.

"Thank you, so much. If there's ever anything I can do for you..." the councilwoman started.

"Actually, I'd like to talk to you about Hayley's Cyberspace. My father, Anton Mercer, is making a huge mistake," Trent responded. He and Austin then began talking with the councilwoman. Meanwhile, Tommy and the other Rangers morphed and fought Zeltrax and Goldenrod in front of the building.

"I thought we were here to fight City Hall," Conner remarked as the battle began.

"Obviously they must've meant fight in front of it," Kira retorted. As the battle continued, the villains summoned some Tyrannodrones, which the Rangers began fighting off. Tommy and Zeltrax engaged in a duel, the evildoer once again seeking revenge. Tommy still didn't know why his adversary was so obsessed with him, but he fought him off anyway.

"Goldenrod, attack the city!" Zeltrax suddenly ordered.

"Yes, father!" Goldenrod responded. He then used some sort of ability to grow to a massive size. Now as large as the city's tallest buildings, Goldenrod began a trail of destruction.

"That's our cue, let's do it Brachio!" Tommy remarked, summoning his zord. The Brachiozord appeared, releasing the other zords from inside of it. The Megazord was formed, and the Rangers began to fight Goldenrod unsuccessfully. Tommy was stuck dueling Zeltrax, but knew that his students were in trouble. Upping his effort, the Black Ranger quickly made Zeltrax his bitch. The beaten villain futilely demanded that Tommy come back and fight while lying defeated on the ground.

Leaving Zeltrax, Tommy ran to where the Megazord was battling Goldenrod. The giant monster was actually winning, so things looked grim for the Rangers. Tommy stepped in with his Brachio staff and unleashed fire, wind, and earthquake attacks of immense power that destroyed Goldenrod. Zeltrax retreated sadly to his master's lair.

* * *

 **Hayley's Cyberspace, later**

* * *

Anton Mercer strode up to Reefside's popular cyber café with a few other men and a slew of plans. However, Hayley met him outside and managed to stall for a minute before Tommy and the teens showed up with the councilwoman. Mrs. Sanchez, as was her name, informed Mercer that the city council had voted to put his purchase on hold. Frustrated, the rich businessman left the premises.

With Mercer dealt with, Tommy left to take Trent home and Councilwoman Sanchez back to town hall. In the meantime, Hayley and the teenage Rangers went inside the strangely darkened cyber cafe. Austin stood outside, wondering why the place was so dark when it was supposed to be open. He figured Hayley would know, so after a few moments he headed inside as well. As he stepped through the double doors into the main room, the lights suddenly flashed on.

"Surprise!" Hayley and the other Rangers cried, jumping up from behind a table with a blue tablecloth. Austin backpedalled in shock. The whole room was covered in blue party decorations, and several tables with blue tablecloths had been set up. One, a round table, was full of presents, while another had a cake and other food. A third had ice cold refreshments.

"Happy Birthday!" they added.

"Wow, thanks guys!" Austin responded. Hayley and the other Rangers started off their surprise birthday party for Austin with some games, which the young Oliver really enjoyed. The boy lived up to his age, playing around with little regard to maturity. Once all the games had been played, the partygoers settled down and began eating lunch. Hayley was shocked at how much pizza the teens ate while still leaving room for cake.

Just as the partygoers prepared to light the candles, a horn was heard outside. Everyone turned towards the front doors, which Tommy stepped through moments later.

"Dad!" Austin cried, rushing over. The two Oliver's met in a hug, the younger happy to have his dad at the party. This would be his first birthday party with his real father in attendance.

"Alright, you two, we've got candles to blow out," Hayley cut in.

"Of course, sorry I delayed things," Tommy responded. He and Austin made their way over to where the cake sat, at which point Hayley lit the 9 candles on top of it. After the others sang 'Happy Birthday to You' Austin blew out the candles and made a wish. Despite Conner asking him what it was, the boy refused to tell as that meant it would likely not come true.

With the candles blown out, Hayley took them out and cut the cake. Austin got the first piece of the chocolate delicacy, and began to eat it along with a scoop of ice cream while the others were served. Once everyone had eaten their cake and/or ice cream, it was time for Austin to open his presents.

Everyone gathered around the table of gifts, and Austin sat down in his father's lap. First came a present Conner, Kira and Ethan had bought together; an Xbox 360 bundle. It came with a new console, a remote, Forza Motorsport 4 and an Xbox 360 wireless speed wheel. The other Rangers had also bought an extra controller so that Austin and his dad could play the console together.

Next came Hayley, who presented Austin with a metal briefcase. After blocking all the windows, she instructed Austin to morph. The Blue Ranger complied, and then pulled out his Thundermax Saber as instructed. This was the common Ranger sidearm, and it was about to get an upgrade. Hayley opened the metal briefcase, revealing white parts with gold detail.

"I got this design from one of the Rangers that came from the future. Just put these attachments on the saber and you've got an even more powerful blaster," Hayley explained. She helped Austin put the attachments on the saber, and once in place the weapon had become a powerful blaster.

"It's called the Electro Booster," Hayley added. Austin looked over the weapon in awe, taking in the design.

"I can't wait to use this thing!" he remarked, practically drooling in anticipation. The other Rangers had a laugh before Austin powered down.

"Well, that's all the presents," Ethan remarked, seeing an empty table.

"Actually, there's one more," Tommy cut in.

"Where is it, then?" Kira questioned.

"We're going to have to drive to it," Tommy explained, "It's a big surprise."

"Alright, let's go everyone," Hayley remarked, standing up. The tech genius led everyone outside, where she, Austin, Tommy and Kira climbed in the Jeep. Ethan and Conner, on the other hand, climbed in the latter's 70's Mustang and proceeded to follow the others through the city. Eventually, the Rangers' little excursion ended at a structure that only Hayley and the Black Ranger had ever seen before.

"Where are we?" Austin asked, looking around in confusion. The Rangers were in a part of Reefside that they hadn't been in much before. The group appeared to be outside an auto garage; a blank, white building with a simple sign on the front. No one was around, and judging by the 'OPEN' sign, the shop was closed.

"You sure we've got the right place?" Kira questioned.

"I've got a friend who works at this garage; I've got keys to get in," Hayley explained.

"Let me guess, you guys got my oil leak fixed free of charge," Austin guessed halfheartedly.

"Actually, that was just something I came up with to keep you from getting suspicious," Tommy explained, smirking.

"Yeah, and while he didn't do any of the work, what you're about to see was all Tommy's idea," Hayley added. She and the five Rangers then headed inside the auto shop, entering a space that would best be described as a showroom and a shop area all in one. Sitting atop the smooth, laminate floor was Austin's 2010 Shelby Mustang GT500. However, it looked a lot different than when Austin and his friends had last seen it.

"There are a lot of things to cover, so I'll start with the cosmetic changes, then the performance upgrades and finally the special stuff," Hayley started. The tech genius then began to outline all the work that had been done on the already fancy vehicle.

First was the paint job, which had been changed from black with blue stripes to blue with white stripes. Next were the tail lights, which had been removed and replaced with those of the new 2013 model. From there Hayley moved to the interior of the vehicle. The plain, black paneling and details had been redone, now sporting blue in the color scheme. The black, faded rear seats had been replaced with a new pair, black with blue in the middle. In addition, the front seats had been swapped out for the new Recaro racing-style seats available in the 2013 model.

Moving on to the performance category, Hayley explained that some guys from Shelby American came and tuned the performance of the car to the max, making it comparable to the new Shelby 1000. In addition, a new set of tires had been put on the car, and they were the as close as street legal rubber could get to being racing quality.

All these improvements already had Austin drooling, but there was still more to come. This was where Hayley got into the special goodies she'd put in herself.

"Along with the original performance upgrades, I did some work of my own to increase the car's handling ability. It's still not the most graceful vehicle, but it'll give most muscle cars a run for their money," the tech genius remarked.

"Wow..." was all Austin could say. The other Rangers were too busy gawking to respond. Moving on, Hayley demonstrated that the paint was actually able to change between the standard blue with white stripes and the old, black scheme with additional Dino Thunder logos. This, she explained, was so that the vehicle could be used in combat without people getting suspicious of Austin at school and elsewhere.

With all the other new features introduced, Hayley moved her focus to the last item on the agenda: weapons. Among the car's arsenal were twin headlight lasers, a mine layer for tailgaters, retractable spikes on the rims, and a pair of rocket launchers. With all the weapons introduced, the Rangers were completely flabbergasted.

"Hayley, you're amazing..." Ethan remarked. He now had a whole new respect for the genius. Austin climbed into the car and looked around it, seemingly in heaven.

"Who wants to go for a ride?" he asked excitedly.

* * *

 **The Olivers' house**

* * *

About an hour later, Austin had dropped off Ethan and Kira at their homes after the three of them went on a joy ride in his car. Conner would have come with them, but he had to drive his own Mustang home. Now, the birthday boy pulled into the driveway of his house and stepped out of the car, quickly regressing to his normal age. He then walked to the front door, and stepped inside the house.

Austin's small frame was immediately scooped up by his father, whom he shared a hug with. Despite being rather small for his age, the 9 year-old was almost too big to be picked up. Tommy was strong from all his training, however, and still supported him fairly well. Separating, the two Oliver's took a seat on the staircase; Austin sitting in Tommy's lap.

"I'm sorry the whole Cyberspace thing interrupted your birthday," Tommy said.

"It's alright, dad, at least Hayley's café is safe," Austin responded, "And besides, I still got a surprise party."

"That you did," Tommy responded, chuckling, "Anyway, how's BJ's sound for dinner?" Austin's eyes widened at the sound of his favorite restaurant.

"You mean it?" he asked excitedly.

"Of course; it's your birthday dinner," Tommy responded.

"Alright then, let's go!" Austin cried. Tommy smiled as he followed his son outside and into the Shelby Mustang. The drive to BJ's was short, and soon the two Oliver's were being seated. When the server asked what they wanted to drink, Austin made sure to get a glass of the root beer the restaurant brewed itself. A few minutes later the Oliver's received their drinks and placed their orders. Austin got a personal-sized pizza, his favorite dish at BJ's.

Eventually the two Oliver's finished eating, paid, and headed back out to the car. Austin walked tiredly out of the restaurant, not playing in the revolving door like he had when they'd arrived. The younger Oliver remained quiet for the entire ride home, and immediately headed upstairs upon arriving. Tommy, meanwhile, decided to go ahead and get ready for bed himself. He might not have lost any fighting skill, but the same could not be said for his stamina. Just as the Black Ranger moved to climb in bed, he was interrupted by a small voice.

"Dad..." Austin spoke quietly. The small boy stood timidly in the doorway, clad in a black Denny Hamlin t-shirt and briefs. Low rumbling came from outside, a telltale sign of a severe thunderstorm. Tommy took in the terrified expression on his son's face; never before had the boy seemed so innocent and vulnerable. The elder Oliver immediately knew what was wrong.

"Come here," Tommy responded. Austin crossed the room hurriedly, and was promptly lifted into his father's waiting arms. The elder Oliver then set his son down on the bed before laying down himself. Pulling the covers over Austin and himself, Tommy wrapped an arm protectively around his son. Comforted by his father's presence, Austin closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep.


	8. Beneath the Surface

08 Beneath The Surface

* * *

DISCLAIMER I do NOT own Power Rangers, Dino Thunder, or any character other than Austin.

* * *

(Dino Thunder theme plays)

Austin Oliver awoke drowsily Sunday morning, still in his father's bed. The thunderstorm from the night before had long since subsided, so he no longer clung fearfully to his dad. He was still in his admittedly childish pajamas, and they weren't doing much to shield him from the cool morning air. Shivering, Austin scooted up against his father's warm body; maybe he should have worn pants for once.

As he lay there, warmed by his fathers presence, the Blue Ranger began to wonder about his other biological parent. Tommy was the greatest dad Austin could have asked for, but what about his mom? Questions swirled in the young Rangers head as he thought about his unknown parent. Remembering that Hayley was the one who'd found his dad, Austin made a mental note to ask the genius about his mysterious mother.

That would have to wait, though. Unless Mesogog attacked, he wouldnt see the genius until Monday. Sighing inwardly, he closed his eyes and snuggled back up to his father. Answers would come in time, he hoped. Within minutes hed fallen back asleep.

* * *

Monday morning came all too soon, and with it a bit of worry for Dr. Tommy Oliver. Class was going to start in just over a minute, and they'd be leaving almost immediately for a field trip to a dig site. The problem was, his son was nowhere to be seen! Austin had never been late a day in his life, so this was an extremely troublesome development. Suddenly, just before the bell rang, Austin dashed through the door and slipped into his seat.

"Nice timing; I was starting to worry," Tommy remarked. His son grinned sheepishly at him.

"Sorry, I stopped by the Cyberspace on the way to school," Austin explained.

"Just try not to cut it so close next time," Tommy replied. He received a curt nod before starting class. Within half an hour, a school bus had brought them to a nearby dig site. The students split up into groups and began helping the scientists there unearth fossils. Principal Randall, who had tagged along, seemed awfully interested for someone who seemingly hated this stuff. Before he could think much about it, Tommy was interrupted by Kira.

"Dr. O, we found something big!" she spoke urgently, "We think it might be a... morphosaurus!" Tommy was alarmed by the name of the fake dinosaur species and hurriedly followed his student. Soon, they arrived, and Tommy was brought face to face with a greenish dinozord egg.

"We cant let anyone see this," he remarked. Unfortunately, Randall chose that moment to make an appearance, and to make matters worse, Tyrannodrones attacked! Tommy and the Rangers fought off the attack without morphing, and Randall of all people managed to secure the egg. Tommy managed to retrieve it from her before everyone headed to the bus to end the trip.

* * *

Back at the secret base, Hayley was a no-show, so Ethan had to analyze the egg instead. Everyone was surprised to see a confused look on the teen's face.

"I'm not detecting any signs of life..." he announced, baffled. The others were taken aback.

"That cant be right!" Austin argued, "There's supposed to be a dinozord inside, right?" Tommy nodded.

"Yes. Clearly, this one's a fake," he responded.

"Who would fake a dino egg?" Conner asked stupidly. Kira rolled her eyes.

"Mesogog," she guessed. Suddenly, there was a loud rumbling, so Tommy rushed to the computer. He was met with video of the Dimetrozord terrorizing the city.

"Guys, I think I found our missing zord!"

* * *

The Rangers quickly arrived on the scene in downtown Reefside. Tommy was engaged by Zeltrax as the younger Rangers used their zords to fight off their corrupted opponent. The Tyrannozord's drill and the Stegozord's spikes were the only thing holding up against their foe's mighty sawblade. Soon, the Tyrannozord was defeated, leaving the Stegozord locked in mortal combat with its very similar opponent.

Just as Tommy finished off Zeltrax for the umpteenth time, his son's zord finally lost the battle. The Dimetrozord dug underground, escaping as one of Mesogogs monsters appeared, already enlarged. Rallying their zords, the Rangers entered the Thundermax Megazord to fight the massive mutant. All attacks proved futile until they engaged the monster in a duel with the Stego Sword. Even then, the monster held them at bay; this wasnt going well.

Suddenly, the Dimetrozord reappeared and Tommy spotted Elsa commanding it. Thinking quickly, he used his morpher to- after a few seconds- tame the rogue zord. He then entered the Megazord's cockpit, much to the other Rangers' relief.

"I tamed the Dimetrozord; time to show off that blade of his!" Tommy remarked.

"Go get him, Dr. O!" Conner responded. Nodding, Tommy connected the Dimetrozord to the Megazord and unleashed its blade. The monster tried to block but wound up with both of its blades cut off.

"Dimetro blade, full power!" Tommy exclaimed. The Megazord spun the saw up to maximum speed and finished off Mesogog's monster in an explosive display. Powering down, the Rangers headed back to their secret base, not at all ready for what awaited them. Much to their surprise, Hayley was waiting when they arrived.

"Hey guys, sorry I wasn't here earlier," she apologized.

"Well, we survived, so no biggie," Kira responded.

"Yeah, but still, where were you?" Conner questioned. The other Rangers rolled their eyes.

"I was doing some research, Conner," Hayley retorted.

"On new Ranger tech?" Ethan asked excitedly. Hayley shook her head.

"On Austins' biological mother," she corrected. Tommy gasped. "He asked me if I could find out who she is, and surprisingly, I succeeded."

"Who is it?" Conner questioned bluntly. Another round of eye rolling. Tommy, meanwhile, noticed his friend's hesitance.

"Is everything alright, Hayley?" he asked concernedly. Hayley nodded.

"Yeah, its just... it's me..." she replied. Kira was shocked, and for once Conner was at a loss for words. Ethan tried to talk but only sputtered out nonsense.

"You're... my real mother?" Austin asked, surprised. Hayley managed a nod. Austin ran forward and locked her in a hug as the others looked on.

"Well, that explains the blonde and the brains..." Tommy mumbled to himself. The other Rangers then congratulated Austin on finding both of his biological parents before heading to their respective homes for the night. The Blue Ranger remained at his father's house, going to bed with thoughts of his mother swirling about his head. He knew that this discovery would change everything.


	9. White Thunder

09 White Thunder

* * *

DISCLAIMER – I do NOT own Power Rangers, Dino Thunder, or any character other than Austin.

* * *

(DinoThunder theme plays)

Early one morning at the Mercer residence, Trent spied worriedly on his father, who sat in his office reading a book. Suddenly, the man seemed overcome by something and stumbled weakly over to a certain wall. Right before Trent's eyes, Anton Mercer disappeared into an invisiportal. Trent paced the hall for a few minutes, trying to piece things together in his mind. Unable to come up with an explanation, he decided to try following his father.

Walking up to the same wall as before, an invisiportal opened in front of the teen. Trent reached out a hand like his father had and was sucked inside. Surprisingly, he found himself inside a strange lab, full of strange, foreign substances. Trent had absolutely no idea where he'd been teleported, but began exploring his surroundings anyway.

Meanwhile, Dr. Tommy Oliver and his son were met by the other Rangers at a now-destroyed shrine in the middle of the forest. Dr. Oliver was scanning the rubble with a drill-shaped device featuring what looked like a satellite dish on the end.

"Hey, Dr. O, we got here as soon as we could. What'd you find?" Conner asked.

"Some sort of storage unit. The energy readings are so intense, the fossil finder can't register them," Tommy answered.

"What kind of energy?" Ethan questioned. Tommy hesitated.

"The same kind that's in our Dino Gems…" Austin answered. The others were flabbergasted.

"You're saying there's a dino gem here?" Kira asked.

"Not any more, but there was," Tommy answered. Ethan raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you had all kinds of stuff that would've detected a gem here," he remarked.

"Someone must've hidden it," Tommy explained, "When the cloaking device deactivated, the readings went off the scale."

"So is this good news or bad news?" Conner questioned. The others rolled their eyes at yet another idiotic question from the Red Ranger.

"Well, that depends on who has the gem, now doesn't it?" Austin responded. Conner frowned before nodding in agreement.

* * *

Back in the strange laboratory, Trent came across a strange, white stone embedded in what appeared to be a thin strip of metal. As he neared the object, he was shocked to see the metal form into a bracelet and adhere itself to his left wrist. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remove the bracelet. As if that weren't enough, the stone embedded in it began to emit energy like no tomorrow, obscuring his arm in a ball of white light.

Trent fled the facility through another portal, the stone's strange energy overcoming him. He tried to head for home, but it wasn't long before he was overwhelmed and collapsed. He could feel the stone's energy surging through him, but could not control it. Whatever it was, it seemed that _it_ was taking control of _him_. Soon the energy was in full control, and Trent Fernandez was merely an afterthought.

Back at the Rangers' secret base, Hayley alerted Dr. Oliver to a new monster who'd just appeared in Reefside. The creature, obviously created by Mesogog, resembled a giant, mutant, sunflower man. Both Olivers began to wonder if their enemies would ever create a monster that also _looked_ dangerous. That aside, they were suddenly joined by the other three Rangers.

"Looks like we showed up just in time," Ethan remarked. Hayley nodded.

"You think there's a reason for this guy?" she questioned.

"Hard to tell; seems like he's actually looking for something," Tommy observed.

"Well he's not gonna like what he finds. Come on, guys!" Conner exclaimed.

"Let's do it!" Kira added. The four younger Rangers stepped back and assumed their usual morphing stances.

"Ready?" Austin questioned.

"Ready!" the others cried.

"Dino Thunder, power up, ha!" they cried in unison, activating their morphers. Once morphed, the Rangers located the sunflower monster on foot, engaging it in a small, open area.

"Hey, is there something we can help you with?" Conner asked somewhat sarcastically. The monster looked over each Ranger, something most unusual by Mesogog's standards.

"Red, blue, green, yellow; no, I'm looking for something in basic white," it responded.

"Do you have any clue what he's talking about?" Kira questioned.

"None," Austin answered. The monster then decided to attack anyway, firing a laser blast which the Rangers dodged. Suddenly and without warning, the monster was attacked by something moving so fast it could only be seen as a blur.

"Whoa!" Conner exclaimed. Within seconds the monster was destroyed, after which its mysterious opponent fled.

"What was that?" Ethan questioned. None of the Rangers could answer. Austin opened comms with his parents back at the base.

"You guys saw that, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, but we're still trying to figure out what it was," Tommy answered.

"We'll try and follow it; come on!" Conner cried. The four Rangers rushed off in the direction the blur had fled. Soon they came to a stop in another clear area.

"I don't see anything," Ethan remarked.

"Look harder." The four Rangers turned to see what appeared to be a white Power Ranger step out from behind a pillar. His spikes were black, he had strange shoulder armor and it, along with his gloves and boots, had gold edges.

"This guy a friend of yours, Dr. O?" Conner asked over the comms.

"Never seen him before," Tommy answered. The Rangers began to attack, but the White Ranger stopped them with a few words.

"I wouldn't come any closer if I were you," he spoke coolly.

"Or what?" Conner questioned.

"I'll give you an example," the White Ranger continued. He pulled a weapon out if its holster. "Drago sword, laser arrow!" he remarked, "Fire!" At least 50 arrows made of energy flew at the Rangers. Austin slid to the ground and dodged them, whereas the others were knocked back by the barrage.

"Was that really necessary?" Conner questioned. Austin resisted the urge to face palm.

"That was just a warning." The White Ranger then vanished into thin air.

"Great, what now?" Ethan asked aloud. Surprisingly, Tommy had an answer.

"Ignore him for the moment. I'm picking up two Dinozord Eggs. Austin, meet me at the docks; the rest of you head to this warehouse," he instructed giving coordinates.

"Got it, Dr. O!" Conner responded.

* * *

Arriving at the warehouse, the three teenage Rangers were led to the dino egg by Dr. Oliver's fossil finder. However, they also found the White Ranger feeding it energy from his morpher. A quick engagement proved futile, and only resulted in them losing the fossil finder before they were forced to retreat. The teens just hoped the Olivers had had better luck.

* * *

Over at the docks, Austin and Tommy were only half surprised to see workers running for their lives. Tracking down the source of the panic, they came across the Parasaurzord. It was light green in color, and Tommy almost immediately tamed it. Before they could celebrate, the other three Rangers rushed up behind them.

"Dr. O, we found the other dino egg, but so did the White Ranger!" Conner remarked.

"Guys, there's a giant, anchor-shaped monster attacking the city!" Hayley chimed in.

"Alright, you guys stay here and deal with this guy. Austin and I will go after the White Ranger," Tommy instructed. Morphing, the Rangers split up once again. Austin and Tommy headed for the warehouse, meanwhile the other three Rangers took on the monster known as Angor. Amazingly, the monster was able to defeat the Thundersaurus Megazord, sending the Rangers flying to the ground.

Meanwhile, Tommy and Austin got to the White Ranger just as the second egg hatched. The zord quickly began to grow, destroying the warehouse and forcing the Olivers to flee. Riding the newly hatched Dragozord, the White Ranger took control of the Parasaurzord, turning it crimson red in the process. The Dragozord and the Parasaurzord came together to form the Dino Parazord, which defeated Angor before disappearing much like its operator had before.

Back at the secret base, the Rangers met up after the hard-fought battle. Conner attempted to apologize for losing the fossil finder but was waved off. Tommy sent the others home to rest before heading out to retrieve the device himself. Hayley watched from the command center as he made his way back to what was left of the warehouse. After a few minutes of searching, he located the fossil finder, which had been attached to a machine that looked like an open briefcase.

"What's this?" he questioned aloud. Suddenly, Trent stumbled into the room. Tommy tried to help him before the teen was overcome again and morphed into the White Ranger. "Never would have seen that coming," Tommy remarked.

"Fight or perish Black Ranger," the White Ranger taunted. Knowing he had no choice, Tommy morphed and fought off his evil opponent. Hayley watched as Tommy was eventually knocked back.

"Hayley, the White Ranger… it's-!" Tommy started. He never got to finish as the White Ranger used the modified fossil finder to cover Tommy in amber, effectively fossilizing him.


	10. Leader of the Whack

10 Leader of the Whack

* * *

DISCLAIMER – I do NOT own Power Rangers, Dino Thunder, or any character other than Austin.

* * *

(Dino Thunder theme plays)

After a shocking incident involving the White Ranger, Tommy has just arrived back at the Rangers' secret base thanks to his comrades. The Black Ranger, now encased in amber, was surrounded by his friends as they looked to their resident genius.

"Is there any way to free him?" Conner asked.

"I could try to get him out, but all the possible methods have a very high chance of killing him in the process," Hayley answered. The Rangers fell silent, Austin clinging sadly to his mother. Finally, the Rangers split up for the night, Austin going home with Hayley for a change. The young Blue Ranger didn't sleep well that night, and almost fell asleep on the drive back to Tommy's house the next morning.

The four remaining Rangers began to converse before they were interrupted by Hayley, who'd made a somewhat frightening discovery.

"A new source of radiation just appeared in the forest, and it's really powerful. Go check it out!" she instructed. Nodding, the four Rangers set off without morphing.

Meanwhile, Trent was hiking through the forest in an attempt to distance himself from Reefside before his evil side took over again. He couldn't control the White Ranger and thought it best to go as far away as possible. However, as his trek continued, he was nearly blown to bits by something of decent mass rocketing through the sky. He dove aside as whatever it was crashed down about 100 yards away. Against his better judgment, he decided to investigate.

It took him about a minute due to the uneven terrain and various obstacles, but Trent finally reached the crash site. As it turned out, the object was a meteor, which now lay in a small crater. Just then, the Rangers arrived, only to be intercepted by Tyrannodrones and one of Mesogog's monsters. The Rangers morphed and began fighting off the drones, meanwhile the monster strangely cowered off to one side. Trent watched this all unfold, and noticed a strange glow coming from the meteor.

"Guys, that radiation doesn't look good, get away from there!" Hayley cried suddenly.

"Too late!" Conner responded. Austin, however, managed to back off a bit despite being attacked. Fighting a losing battle, the Tyrannodrones and the monster were sucked up by an invisiportal. The Rangers powered down as Trent backed off into the forest. Immediately, they headed back to the secret base to see Hayley.

* * *

"How'd things go, guys?" the redhead genius asked as the Rangers entered the base.

"Our fight was a most glorious victory!" Conner answered.

"Yeah, we totally destroyed them!" Ethan added.

"Whatever; I broke a nail!" Kira complained. Austin almost gagged in disgust.

"I managed to get away from the meteor, but these three weren't so lucky, and now they're acting weird," he explained.

"I can see that..." Hayley responded, shocked, "That aside, I want to investigate this meteor more, but we've got trouble. That monster is back, and it's in the city now!"

"I'll try to get these three to cooperate; wish me luck!" Austin responded, morphing with the others and leading them out of the base.

* * *

Arriving in the city, the Rangers faced off with the monster.

"I think we should formulate a plan," Conner announced.

"Screw that, let's launch an all out attack!" Ethan countered.

"If it involves getting dirty, I'll pass," Kira retorted. Austin sighed in annoyance as the three began to fight.

"Guys, we're not going to win this fight if you keep bickering! You need to fight the radiation and show your true selves!" he urged. The monster launched an attack, so Austin stole Ethan's Tricera Shield and blocked it. Suddenly, something seemed to change inside the Rangers.

"He's right, we've got to fight!" Conner exclaimed.

"Let's give it everything we've got!" Ethan added.

"Dino power!" the four Rangers cried. Suddenly, they felt a surge of power as the white diamonds on their suits extended into full-on spikes.

"Super Dino Mode!" the Rangers exclaimed instinctively. Hayley applauded from the base as they took on the monster and destroyed it. As usual, it came back much, much larger.

"Mom, send in the zords!" Austin instructed.

"On their way!" Hayley responded. The Brachiozord arrived and deployed the other zords, which the Rangers combined into the Thundersaurus Megazord.

"Show him what you've got, guys!" Austin ordered.

"Dino drill!" Conner cried, launching the attack.

"Tricera punch!" Ethan continued.

"Ptera Rang!" Kira finished. The three attacks weren't enough to finish the monster, but it did try to flee. Suddenly, the Dino Parazord appeared and cut it off.

"Going somewhere?" the White Ranger taunted, not sounding evil for a change. The monster was blasted back again, so Austin seized the opportunity.

"Stego Sword, final strike!" he cried. The Megazord swapped out the Dino Drill for the Stego Sword and dealt the monster a pair of powerful blows, destroying it.

"Yeah!" the Rangers cried excitedly.

* * *

"You should be at the meteor site now," Hayley remarked.

"Alright! Pull it together guys; fire!" Austin cried. The four teens fired their Raptor Cycles' lasers, destroying the meteor.

"Finally… I was starting to have a hard time not acting smart," Conner admitted, relieved.

"I was about to stop on the spot and bench press my Raptor Cycle…" Ethan added, embarrassed.

"Well I was just about to head for the mall. Ugh…" Kira finished.

"Glad you guys are back to normal," Austin remarked, "Let's grab a meteor fragment and head back." Nodding, the Rangers did just that.

Back at the lab, Hayley inserted the meteor fragment into a machine, and then turned it on. A special ray blasted Tommy, and as expected he was freed from the amber.

"Yes! It worked!" Kira cried.

"Way to go Hayley!" Ethan added. The redhead just smiled as Austin ran and hugged his father.

"Great job, guys; I'm glad to be out of there…" Tommy remarked, putting an arm around his son, "Power down!" Strangely, nothing happened. A second attempt proved just as futile. "Guys, I think we've got a problem…"


	11. Copy That

11 Copy That

* * *

DISCLAIMER – I do NOT own Power Rangers, Dino Thunder, or any character other than Austin.

* * *

(Dino Thunder theme plays)

"This isn't good," Hayley remarked worriedly. Tommy gave his son a gentle squeeze.

"Sorry about this, Austin. I guess you'll have to stay with Hayley for now," he apologized. The young Blue Ranger squeezed back.

"That's fine, dad; I'm just glad you're not frozen anymore," Austin replied. Tommy ruffled his son's hair.

"So am I, son," he responded, smiling, "Come on, guys; let's get some rest."

* * *

While Tommy adjusted to sleeping in a helmet, Trent- controlled by the evil White Ranger- discovered that Anton Mercer shared a body with Mesogog. Now, after eating breakfast, he began his morning with a training session using Tyrannodrones. Anton Mercer watched his son fight with disdain; this was not the path he'd intended for his son. Although, it was entirely possible that the person fighting those drones wasn't his son at all.

"Ugh, I need more competition! I wipe the floor with these guys every time!" Trent complained, sitting down at a table.

"Yeah, I see that," Mercer replied, "Look son, this change that's happened in you… I don't like it."

"This white dino gem is making me stronger every day. Soon, no one's gonna be able to stop me, dad. Isn't that what you wanted?" Trent questioned.

"No, that's not what I wanted. That's what Mesogog wants. Look, we share the same mind, but… I hate what he's done to you," Mercer answered. Trent seemed confused.

"But you _are_ Mesogog," he argued.

"Not by choice," Mercer responded. Anton calmly recalled the accident that caused his initial transformation; that he was on the verge of a scientific breakthrough. He had to test it on himself, but things didn't go as planned.

"But our plan to bring back the era of the dinosaurs; it's all within our reach!" Trent continued.

"That's not my plan. That's what I'm trying to tell you. This creature, Mesogog, he's poisoned my mind. I never wanted this for you; do you understand that?" Mercer questioned.

"Well it's too late for that now, isn't it?" Trent responded angrily. Fed up, the White Ranger stood and walked away.

* * *

The Rangers find themselves challenged by yet another monster, this one appearing to be made out of giant bell peppers. Its arms, however, were made from some kind of machine. The Rangers engaged it, only for it to throw bell pepper bombs at them.

"Oh, you're gonna pay for that! Tricera Shield!" Ethan responded, pulling out his weapon.

"Copy!" the monster cried, holding out one of its arms. Within moments it had an exact copy of the Green Ranger's weapon!

"What the-?" Ethan sputtered. Even Austin was at a loss for words. The monster took advantage of this momentary stall and blasted them back.

"Alright, now I'm mad!" Conner growled. The other Rangers brought their weapons, only to meet the same results. As the battle continued, Trent watched from nearby, planning to fight the winner. Before the chance arose, however, Mesogog dragged him through an invisiportal to his lair.

"This is what you get for betraying me yesterday!" Mesogog growled. Forcing trent down onto the lifeforce extractor, he strapped the White Ranger down and activated the device. "Goodbye, Whte Ranger…" As he was slowly killed, Trent appealed to Mesogog's other half.

"Dad, don't… it's me… Trent… your son…" he begged weakly. Suddenly, a change overcame Mesogog as Anton Mercer forcibly took over. Rushing over to his son, Mercer broke off the laser of the machine killing his son. The laser ricocheted throughout the lab before striking the dino gem on Trent's wrist.

"Trent?" Anton asked, "Son, are you alright?" Trent came slowly around, his vision hazy at first. Anton quickly removed his son's restraints, and soon the teen stood up from the machine.

"I'm fine…" Trent answered, "I feel like my old self again…"

"The explosion…" Mercer remarked, "The explosion must've shattered the evil encoding on the Dino gem."

"Does that mean there's no more White Ranger?" Trent asked.

"As far as I can tell," Anton responded, looking at the gem, "The power is still active."

"Great, what do I do with it now?" Trent questioned, lost.

"Now you'll be able to use it however you choose," Anton responded. Suddenly he collapsed to his knees as Mesogog began taking over again.

"Dad, are you alright?" Trent asked, "I can help!"

"No!" Anton responded, "You have to get out of here. I'll find a way to deal with this, but until then, promise me you'll use your powers for something good."

"I promise," Trent replied. Anton nodded.

"Now go!" he urged. Trent quickly fled as Anton lost control to his evil other side.

* * *

The copy machine monster was starting to try the Rangers' patience, as they couldn't defeat it even with Tommy showing up as backup. Suddenly, the White Ranger nearly ran over the monster on a white ATV that matched his suit perfectly. The monster fought back by copying the Drago Sword, but was eventually defeated when the White Ranger activated his own Super Dino Mode.

"Hey, whose side are you on?" Conner asked. Suddenly, the monster was reborn in his gigantic form.

"That's not important right now; get to the zords!" Tommy ordered. The teens nodded and formed the Thundersaurus Megazord to take on the monster. Meanwhile, Trent powered down and approached the Black Ranger.

"Don't come any closer," Tommy remarked.

"Dr. Oliver, you gotta listen to me." Trent replied calmly. As Tommy hesitantly listened, the other Rangers fought off the monster and his exploding peppers. However, they weren't having much luck defeating it.

"Guys, here's a big help! I just found the Ankylozord!" Hayley radioed.

"I'll take that!" Austin taunted, taming the zord. Conner glared daggers through his helmet as Austin attached the new zord in place of the Tricerazord. "Thundersaurus, double drill attack!"

"So not cool," Conner growled. Meanwhile, the Megazord used the Ankylozord and the Tyrannozord drills to destroy the hideous monster.

"Guys, Tommy wants to see you back at base. He's got a surprise in store," Hayley announced.

"On our way!" Conner responded.

* * *

"I wonder what the surprise is," Ethan remarked as he and the others neared the secret entrance to the base. Conner shrugged as they reached the door, which slid upward to let them in. The Rangers were shocked to see Trent waiting for them, and immediately assumed defensive stances as a precaution.

"What's he doing here?" Conner questioned tersely.

"I let him in," Tommy answered, walking up from behind the White Ranger.

"How can you trust him?" Ethan questioned. Trent listened as the others talked.

"You forget, Ethan; my father was once an evil ranger as well," Austin interjected. Tommy nodded.

"Exactly. That, along with the two Dino ATVs he stole from Mesogog, give me reason to trust him," he concurred.

"Alright; if Dr. O's fine with it, I guess I am," Ethan responded.

"Me too," Kira added, smiling.

"Okay, but isn't there a rule that says newbie Rangers have to wash all the zords?" Conner taunted.

"You're kidding me, right?" Trent questioned. The Red Ranger shook his head, grinning.

"And you guys say I'm immature…" Austin grumbled, heading upstairs. Luckily for Trent, Dr. Oliver put a stop to Conner's prank and sent everyone home for a good night's rest.

* * *

Half an hour after the other Rangers left, Austin finished packing some clothes into a duffel bag. Since his stay with Hayley would be continuing, he needed to bring a few more outfits over. Finished with his packing, he hoisted the heavy bag onto his shoulder and plodded downstairs. Tommy and Hayley headed for the door upon hearing his heavy footsteps, reminded that his smaller frame was much worse with heavy loads. Eventually, they all met in the entryway, Austin dropping his duffel with an exasperated sigh. Tommy dropped to a knee to say goodbye.

"Be good for Hayley, alright?" he instructed.

"I will," Austin responded, "Bye, dad." The two Olivers shared a hug before Austin headed out the door with his mom.

Just over an hour later, Austin was dressed in pajamas and climbing in bed. Hayley stepped into the bedroom she'd pulled together for him and walked over to his bedside to tuck him in. As she began to do so, however, she was met with some most unexpected words.

"Mom… you're going to get dad back to normal, right?" Austin asked worriedly. Hayley took a deep breath.

"Austin, you know I can't make any guarantees, right?" she questioned. Austin nodded sadly, so Hayley pulled him close. "We both want to see Tommy back to his old self. I promise, I will do everything I can to make it happen."

"Thanks, mom," Austin responded, hugging her. Hayley smiled and hugged back.

"Good night, kiddo. I love you," she remarked.

"Love you too, mom," Austin replied. The two finally separated; Hayley turning out the lights as she left her son alone. It wasn't long before the young Blue Ranger had drifted peacefully off to sleep.


	12. Triassic Triumph

12 Triassic Triumph

* * *

DISCLAIMER – I do NOT own Power Rangers, Dino Thunder, or any character other than Austin.

* * *

(Dino Thunder theme plays)

Early the next day, the Rangers rushed to the site of a new attack. They were met by Zeltrax, who brought with him two new villains: the Evil White Ranger clone, and the White Terrorsaurus monster. Despite being thoroughly shocked at the appearance of a new evil Ranger, the teens wiped the floor with Zeltrax as his two comrades looked on. As usual, Zeltrax sounded the retreat by summoning an invisiportal.

The Rangers returned to their secret base, where Tommy was waiting with a mission. Telling the others to keep an eye on the evil White Ranger situation, he took Trent with him into the forest. If it weren't for the huge amount of trust they had in Tommy, the Rangers surely would have questioned his leaving with Trent alone.

Shortly after Tommy left, the White Terrorsaurus attacked again. Hayley was busy running the Cyberspace, so it was up to the Rangers to decide what to do. Tommy had left explicit instructions to call him if anything happened, but as usual Conner was impatient.

"Why should we wait for Dr. O? We're not kids; we can handle this. Come on," Conner argued. The others hesitated.

"...okay, but the minute things get ugly, we call for backup," Kira conceded. Ethan agreed, leaving Austin the only obstacle.

"If you want to give it a shot, be my guest. I'm calling for backup," he announced. Shaking his head, Conner led the other two Rangers in morphing and heading out after the Terrorsaurus. Meanwhile, Austin called his father.

"Dad, the others went after the White Terrorsaurus in their zords!" he remarked worriedly.

"There's no way the Thundersaurus can take him on alone; you've got to stop them!" Tommy responded.

"Too late for that, but I'll see if I can minimize the damage! Hurry back, alright?" Austin replied.

"I'll see what I can do," Tommy assured him. The Blue Ranger then morphed and followed after his teammates.

* * *

As the Rangers engaged their foe, Tommy and Trent arrived at a waterfall deep in the forest. An ancient artifact lay hidden in the waters, and Trent's power was necessary to retrieve it. Tommy showed Trent how to properly channel his dino energy, and then the two focused their energy together to raise the artifact from the depths.

In the meantime, the Thundersaurus Megazord was quickly defeated by the White Terrorsaurus, separating it just as Austin arrived on the scene. The Terrorsaurus captured the other Rangers' Dino zords before engaging them on foot again.

"Hey ugly!" Austin chimed in suddenly, blasting the monster back with his Electro Booster. The Rangers seized the opportunity and fled from the dazed monster. Suddenly, no more than ten meters into the forest, Conner stopped and held his head.

"You alright, man?" Ethan asked. Conner nodded.

"Yeah, but it feels like something's calling me…" he responded. A brief moment of silence before Conner gasped. "There it is again!" The Red Ranger dashed off.

"Should we follow him?" Kira questioned. Ethan shrugged. Suddenly their morphers beeped, and Austin wound up in a quick conversation.

"Mom's back," he announced after a minute, "She says to head back to base." Neither teen objected, so the three Rangers began the short trek back to Tommy's house.

"Can't… hold it… much longer…" Trent groaned. Inwardly, Tommy knew he couldn't either.

"Don't give up…" the Black Ranger responded. Suddenly, Conner leapt in out of nowhere and grabbed the artifact, a colorless shield. Trent collapsed and had to be held up by Tommy.

"Nice timing, right?" Conner bragged. Tommy rolled his eyes.

"Never better," Trent moaned. Conner examined the newly acquired shield.

"So what is this thing, anyway?" he questioned.

"It's a powerful artifact that will unlock a whole new dino power. Each of us have to make a contribution, though. Trent has made his, and I'll make mine when we get back to base," Tommy explained. He then began helping Trent walk back through the forest.

Tommy, Trent and Conner barely made it back to the base before the Terrorsaurus attacked again. Trent lay down to rest, and Tommy began making his contribution to the shield while the others headed off to distract the Terrorsaurus. Again the Rangers were overwhelmed, and for a moment it seemed they were doomed. The White Terrorsaurus fired a powerful lightning attack at the weakened Rangers when Tommy suddenly stepped in and reflected it back with the shield.

"Alright, it's up to you, Conner," Tommy remarked, handing over the shield. Conner turned to his three teammates.

"Guys, I know this is a lot to ask, but I need your dino powers," he asked.

"Alright, I trust you," Kira answered.

"Me too," Ethan added. Austin was hesitant.

"Come on, Austin. I promise, I'm not going to do anything reckless," Conner pleaded.

"...alright, I trust you," Austin replied. The three Rangers held up their morphers, transferring their power to the shield. Once the transfer was complete, they collapsed to the ground and demorphed.

"Alright, Triassic Power, engage!" Conner cried. In a brilliant display, he morphed into the Triassic Ranger. Golden adornments appeared on the sides of his visor, and he gained a pair of golden shoulder plates. The white diamonds on his suit turned arrow-shaped and became blue with a gold border. The shield became red and gold in color, resembling the head of a Styracosaurus. "Shield of Triumph, activate!" Conner continued.

Conner and the White Terrorsaurus entered the Triassic Ranger's special dimension, much to the latter's confusion. The Triassic Ranger annihilated his foe with the use of the Shield of Triumph's sword mode. As the battle ended, the two combatants returned to Reefside; the Terrorsaurus collapsing, defeated. A massive explosion later, the monster was revived in its massive form as expected. This time, however, it posed a dilemma.

"It's still got our zords, what do we do?" Ethan questioned.

'Not all of them," Trent cut in, appearing in Ranger form.

"Dad, can you distract him for a second with your Brachio staff?" Austin asked.

"No problem!" Tommy replied. With the monster temporarily occupied, Austin and Trent combined their zords to form the white and blue Dino Stegazord. Replacing the arms with the Ankylozord and the Dimetrozord, they had a formidable machine.

"Don't leave me out of this!" Conner remarked, "Mezodon Megarover, awaken!" The other Rangers- save for Tommy- were surprised to see a new zord, the Mezodon Rover, appear. It resembled a red Styracosaurus pulling a chariot. Conner jumped up and entered the chariot part of the rover before setting the Shield of Triumph in its place at the helm. "Mezodon Megazord, transformation!" he remarked. The Megarover's two pieces came together into a single, powerful zord.

"Alright! Let's show this guy who's boss!" Austin exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Trent added.

"All at once, guys!" Conner responded. The Dino Stegazord attacked with the Ankylo drill and Dimetro saw whilst the Mezodon Megazord attacked with its golden axe. The White Terrorsaurus never stood a chance, exploding for the second time in as many minutes. Having won the battle, the Rangers powered down and headed home.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Conner took Austin to the local Dairy Queen and bought him a blizzard. For the first minute or two after they sat down, neither said a word. Conner had something on his mind, but was unable to find the right words. Finally, the silence was broken.

"I want to thank you for trusting me, Austin. I know I've made some poor choices and it's caused a lot of tension between us. I just hope we can put this behind us," Conner remarked. Austin set down his spoon.

"Conner, your decision today almost cost you, Ethan and Kira your lives. It's not the first time you've gone against my dad's orders, either," he responded, "You have my trust now, but if you keep making these knee jerk decisions, you're going to lose it." Conner let out a guilty sigh.

"...you're right." he admitted. Austin could barely believe his ears. "I'm the red guy; the leader. You guys look at me for direction, and I almost blew it. I'll try my hardest not to do it again; that's a promise." Austin nodded in acceptance.

"And I promise to help. After all, what's a leader without his second in command?" the Blue Ranger replied, grinning cheekily. Conner ruffled his young companion's hair; the boy was like the little brother he'd never had.

"Not much of a leader, I'd say. After all, you're the one who saved all our butts," he answered, smiling back. Austin blushed lightly as he finished his ice cream.

"You sure dad didn't put you up to this?" the Blue Ranger questioned. Conner shook his head.

"No, I think he was too busy reprimanding me for my stupidity…" the Red Ranger recalled, wincing at the harsh words Tommy had used. Austin suppressed a giggle.

"That's dad for ya," he concurred, "Come on, let's head back." Nodding, Conner followed the boy out of the restaurant. Catching Austin by surprise, Conner lifted the unusually small boy onto his shoulders and carried him most of the way home. Although still wary of his friend's faults, Austin now felt closer to Conner than ever, and hoped their friendship would continue to grow stronger.


	13. Fighting Spirit

13 Fighting Spirit

* * *

DISCLAIMER – I do NOT own Power Rangers, Dino Thunder, or any character other than Austin.

* * *

(Dino Thunder theme plays)

Dr. Tommy Oliver found himself, oddly, walking up to a small pool of bubbling, green slime. Of all the things that could have been the solution to his problem, this? The Black Ranger sighed and activated the communicator built into his morpher.

"I found the… slime…" he remarked.

"Good. Take a sample and bring it back to base; I think we can demorph you now," Hayley responded. Reluctant as he was, Tommy did as instructed and took a large sample of the slime. He was very careful not to get any on his suit, of course. Gooey, green substance in hand, Tommy headed back towards his home.

* * *

"Finally…" Hayley huffed as Tommy entered, "Now we can end this mess once and for all." The genius redhead inserted the slime into a machine and then instructed Tommy to stand inside a large chamber. The Black Ranger did as he was told, and soon the slime was pouring over him. As disgusted as he was, Tommy was relieved to see his skin for the first time in just over a week. Just before the Rangers could celebrate, however, Dr. Oliver faded from sight.

"Not funny, Dr. O," Conner remarked.

"It's not a joke, Conner," Tommy retorted. The room fell silent.

"...mom, you can fix this, right?" Austin asked quietly. A look of determination appeared on Hayley's face.

"There is a way," she responded, "But it's risky, and I need a really powerful energy source." Tommy didn't hesitate a second.

"Use my dino gem," he suggested, "It's the most powerful thing we've got." Knowing he wouldn't budge, Hayley took the gem and prepared him for the procedure. Once everything was ready, Hayley inserted the black dino gem into her machine and started it up. Tommy began to shake violently, and all too late Hayley realized that one of the machine's components had failed. The loss of this failsafe meant Tommy was receiving the full brunt of the machine's power.

"Mom, do something!" Austin cried worriedly as the machine sparked out of control. Just before it seemed the whole thing would explode, Hayley flipped the killswitch. The machine shut down immediately; Tommy turning visible at the same time. The Rangers rushed over to their mentor, and were shocked to find him unconscious. Kira immediately called 9-1-1 while the others moved the Black Ranger out of the secret base.

Within 10 minutes, Tommy was in the hospital, lying in a bed while the Rangers looked on. The doctor explained that his vitals were stable, but that his brainwaves were 'wildly erratic'. Tommy Oliver was in a coma, and there was nothing that could be done other than wait and see if he'd recover. As Austin clung to his mother, tears threatening to fall from his eyes, a breaking newsflash drew the Rangers' attention to the room's small TV.

The White Terrorsaurus was back, but appeared even more powerful than before. The Rangers were rightfully hesitant to face the monster without Dr. Oliver, and found themselves with a tough decision on their hands. Conner turned to Hayley for guidance.

"Last time we faced this thing it wiped us out, and now Dr. O can't help. What should we do?" he asked.

"What Tommy would do. You have to face the Terrorsaurus; people are depending on you," she answered. Conner noted the Blue Ranger's tearful silence.

"Alright, but Austin's staying here. He needs to be with his dad," he remarked. Hayley nodded, holding onto her son. Conner, Ethan, Kira and Trent morphed and went after the monster. They found little more success than the previous encounter, and this time the monster ingested a special gemstone that captured their powers. Unable to morph, the Rangers retreated to the hospital.

"Just as I thought…" Conner muttered, stumbling through the door to Tommy's room, "Beaten again."

"Why don't you try again?" Hayley questioned.

"Because it stole our powers…" Ethan grumbled. Hayley gasped. Suddenly, Austin pulled free of her arms and stood.

"It hasn't stolen mine," he reminded them. The young Ranger then headed off to face the Terrorsaurus. Without a moment's hesitation, Conner and the others began to follow.

"Wait, you don't stand a chance without your powers!" Hayley called after them.

"That wouldn't stop Dr. O," Conner responded. He then followed the other Rangers out the door.

Arriving at the battlefield, Austin engaged the White Terrorsaurus with his Stego Sword and Electro Booster rifle. The others arrived to support him, and were shocked to see the two combatants in a heated showdown. Neither Austin nor the Terrorsaurus could land an attack; the two using a plethora of blocks and counters. The monster tried a projectile attack, only for Austin to block it with his sword.

"Austin's putting up one hell of a fight," Ethan remarked, shocked. Kira sighed.

"I hope Dr. O is, too..."

* * *

Dr. Tommy Oliver found himself in a strange, bowl-like, desert landscape. Atop one edge of the bowl was a tan, stone structure that looked like a doorway. Suddenly, someone stepped into the arch; a person he thought he'd never see again: Zeo Ranger 5.

"Hello, Tommy. Remember me?" the Red Zeo Ranger remarked in Tommy's own- albeit younger- voice.

"Zeo Ranger 5? But that's impossible," Tommy responded.

"It's possible, and I'm still as tough as ever. The question is, are you?" Zeo Ranger 5 questioned.

"What is this? I'm not gonna fight you," Tommy replied.

"Then I suppose you will be destroyed," the Red Ranger remarked before attacking. Tommy noticed his dino gem was missing, so he began to fight unmorphed. It was a grueling battle, and the Red Ranger was on top for most of it. Finally, Tommy managed to counter a kick and send his opponent flying. The Red Ranger climbed to his feet.

"I see you've got a lot of fight left in you, but is it enough?" he taunted. Then he disappeared. Suddenly, the desert disappeared, replaced by a strange forest. Tommy looked around for a moment, taking in his surroundings. He was still completely lost.

"Well, I'm definitely not in Reefside anymore," he remarked. Suddenly, another, even younger version of his voice was heard.

"No, we're in Angel Grove." Suddenly, the White Ranger flew into sight, landing in front of Tommy. "Finally cut that hair, huh Tommy?"

"The White Ranger? But your powers were destroyed," Dr. Oliver remarked.

"Can't keep a good Ranger down," the White Ranger responded. Tommy sighed.

"Not again," he begged.

"For old time's sake," the White Ranger replied, attacking. Once again Tommy engaged his past self, and once again he was overwhelmed. "Don't forget, I know all your old moves," the White Ranger taunted.

"Yeah, well I've learned a few new ones," Tommy retorted. The Black Ranger dodged an attack and bounced off of two trees before landing a huge kick, sending the White Ranger to the ground.

"Impressive. Now we'll see if you can face your toughest challenge," the White Ranger remarked. Then, as suddenly as the Red Ranger before, he disappeared.

"What, that wasn't tough?" Tommy questioned openly. Now the forest changed to a greener, less snowy form, and Tommy was flabbergasted at the sight of his old Dragon Dagger flying into the tree next to him. Grabbing the weapon, he turned to face none other than the original Green Ranger. "I thought I might run into you."

"It's been a while, Tommy. I see you switched to basic black," the Green Ranger remarked.

"It seems to work for me," Tommy responded, "Let me guess, you want to fight."

"You guessed right," the Green Ranger confirmed. The two Rangers launched into battle, and this time Tommy was clearly outmatched. The Green Ranger gave him a thorough beating, leaving his older self sprawled out on the ground. "Why don't you just give up already?" he questioned.

"That's the one thing I'll never do," Tommy responded.

"Then I guess this is over," the Green Ranger replied, "You passed the test." The Green Ranger helped Tommy to his feet.

"What do you mean?" Tommy asked. Zeo Ranger 5 suddenly walked up.

"You weren't fighting us, you were fighting for your life," he explained. The White Ranger joined the group.

"And you've proven that your will to live is stronger than any Ranger power," he added. The three Rangers extended a hand, each bearing a piece of the black dino gem.

"This is yours. Good luck, Black Ranger," the Green Ranger finished. Tommy took each piece of the dino gem, before the dream began to fade.

Hayley was thankful to see Tommy's eyes flutter open as he finally awoke. She alerted the doctors immediately, and after a short examination Tommy was cleared to leave. Having found the black dino gem in his hand upon awakening, Tommy brought his morpher back online.

"Get to the command center; I'm going to go help the kids," he instructed.

"Be careful," Hayley responded, rushing off. Morphing, Tommy rushed to join the battle. Sadly, he arrived just as Austin finally made a mistake, allowing the Terrorsaurus to sap his powers as well. The 9 year-old stood weakly; helped to his feet by Conner and Ethan.

"You just picked on the wrong Ranger," Tommy remarked suddenly.

"Dr. O!" the others cried. The Black Ranger did not respond, instead focusing on the fight.

"Super Dino Mode!" he cried, activating his own version of the powers. The other Rangers gasped.

"Since when does he have Super Dino mode?" Conner questioned. Ethan shrugged.

"I don't know, but he picked a great time to bust it out," he answered. Trent nodded in agreement.

"You think he can beat the Terrorsaurus?" Kira questioned.

"After what just happened… I think the better question is how badly will he beat it," Austin answered. That question was quickly answered when Dr. Tommy Oliver engaged the Rangers' toughest foe to date and proceeded to make it his bitch. Conner's jaw dropped when the Terrorsaurus exploded a mere twenty seconds later.

"Good God…" he sputtered.

"That was unbelievable…" Trent added. Austin smirked.

" _That_ was the world's greatest Power Ranger," he responded. The Rangers didn't have time to celebrate, however, as the Terrorsaurus returned in a frighteningly large 'giant' form. Tommy called for the zords as the other Rangers- whose powers had returned after the Terrorsaurus' initial defeat- morphed. Trent took control of the Dino Parazord while the other five Rangers formed the full Thundermax Megazord for the first time in several battles.

"Finally; I've missed this part of the battle," Tommy remarked.

"Well then, you can do the honors," Conner responded, flashing a thumbs up.

"With pleasure," Tommy replied, "Trent, set him up!"

"You got it, Dr. O!" Trent responded. The White Ranger quickly attacked the Terrorsaurus with the parasaurzord's scissor attack, which knocked the monster back into perfect position. Tommy channeled his Super Dino energy into the Megazord.

"Alright, Brachio Blast! Full power!" Tommy cried. The Megazord's Brachio armor charged up a huge ball of energy in front of the chest-mounted T-Rex head. The ball was then fired forward by the aforementioned appendage, destroying the Terrorsaurus in a fiery, explosive display.

"Nice one, dad!" Austin remarked.

"Go, Dr. O!" Kira added.

"Thanks, guys," Tommy replied, sharing a few high fives, "Now, let's go home. I'm ready for a normal night's sleep for a change." The other Rangers couldn't help but laugh.

* * *

Late that night, Tommy put away a glass he'd used before turning to leave the kitchen. Surprisingly, his son stood in the doorway, clad in his usual pajamas and with a weary expression on his face. Tommy walked over and took a knee.

"Everything alright, son?" he asked. Austin hugged his father tightly, putting a smile on the Black Ranger's face. Tommy hoisted his son up to waist height and held him close, pausing for a moment in the doorway.

"I'm glad you're back, dad. I missed you," Austin spoke softly, resting his head on his father's shoulder. Tommy gave his son a gentle squeeze.

"Not as much as I missed you," he replied. Austin smiled as his dad carried him into the house's master bedroom; finally the nightmare was over. Finally, he was back with his father.


	14. Strange Relations

14 Strange Relations

* * *

DISCLAIMER – I do NOT own Power Rangers, Dino Thunder, or any character other than Austin.

* * *

(Dino Thunder theme plays)

It was a normal Thursday in Reefside, one which found the Rangers enjoying some downtime at Hayley's Cyberspace. Conner was idly sipping a soda while watching Ethan play Star Wars: The Old Republic on his computer. Kira was working on the music for a new song, and Austin- also playing Star Wars- was putting Ethan to shame. Suddenly, Ethan's screen was overcome by static, which gave way to an image of the evil White Ranger clone.

"Good afternoon, Rangers; I hope you're not having too much fun. Sorry to break up the party, but I thought you'd want to stop your precious city from being destroyed!" he cackled. The image then returned to normal, the four Rangers looking at each other all the while.

"We gotta split!" Ethan remarked. The others nodded, quickly leaving the cafe and morphing in a secluded area. The four Rangers met the evil White Ranger clone downtown; civilians fleeing the area. A furious battle erupted, and Austin even brought his Electro Booster into play. As things heated up, the White Ranger clone took things a step further by taking over Trent's Dino Parazord. The Rangers formed the Thundermax to fight him off, but they weren't excited about their chances.

Back at the Cyberspace, Trent was carrying a tray of glasses towards a rather large table of students. Suddenly he felt a strange fluctuation in energy, leaving him light headed and weak. Losing his balance, he fell to the floor with a loud crash. Almost every cup on his tray broke, leaving glass strewn across the floor. Hayley rushed worriedly over, bringing along a broom and dustpan for the mess. She helped Trent to his feet, and for a moment held him stable.

"Trent, you alright?" she asked concernedly. The White Ranger nodded.

"Yeah… I don't know what came over me. I just felt… really weak, all of a sudden," he answered. Hayley sighed.

"Well, can you help me clean this mess up?" she asked. Trent nodded.

"Yeah; I'll go get a trash can," he answered.

Meanwhile, the Rangers had engaged the evil White Ranger clone, but were shocked to see the Dino Parazord suddenly stumble backward. Unbeknownst to his opponents, the evil White Ranger clone was experiencing a power fluctuation at the same time as Trent. Taking advantage of this rare moment, the Rangers dispatched the White Ranger clone with a full-power Dino Drill strike. Losing control of his zords, the defeated clone retreated through an invisiportal.

The Rangers called Trent and met up with Tommy at the team's secret base. The four teens were already confused as to why the White Ranger had suddenly weakened, but Trent's story of his own power fluctuation just added to the mess. Naturally, they all turned to Tommy for an explanation.

"The problem is simple: the morphing grid can only handle one White Ranger, and we've got two of them running around. If we don't destroy the clone, the power will keep fluctuating dangerously between the two Rangers," Dr. Oliver explained. Before anyone could respond, the computer beeped to alert the Rangers to a new attack. Tommy brought up the video feed, which showed the massive Jade Gladiator terrorizing the city. As his name implied, the Jade Gladiator was basically a green Roman gladiator monster.

The Rangers morphed and rushed towards the city. However, they were intercepted by the evil White Ranger clone. Trent told the others to go on, engaging his clone one-on-one. As the two engaged in a fight to the death, the other five Rangers entered the Thundermax Megazord to take on the already enlarged Jade Gladiator. However, the monster retreated into a plant, and summoned two monsters- Deadwood and Skortch- to fight for him.

This monsters were no pushovers, so the Rangers were only able to defeat Deadwood before the Megazord was defeated. In a second attempt, Tommy- the only one to remain morphed- attempted to defeat Skortch with the Dino Parazord but was caught off guard after attaching two of the auxiliary zords. Austin face-palmed as his dad stumbled over, defeated.

"Great, what now?" Ethan questioned aloud. He was answered by the crunching of leaves, and the Rangers turned to see one of the White Rangers walking toward them. The question was, which White Ranger was it? Even Dr. Oliver couldn't be sure.

"Trent?" Kira asked desperately. The White Ranger took a few steps further before stopping.

"Power down." The suit disappeared, revealing Trent Fernandez. "Honestly, who'd you guys expect?" he asked, toying with them.

"Enough playing around. We've got to hit that monster with everything we've got!" Conner cut in.

"He's right. Let's do it guys!" Tommy responded. The Six Rangers entered formation and held out their morphers.

"Dino Thunder, power up! Ha!" they cried. Morphing, they once again summoned the Thundermax, but now received support from Trent in the Dragozord. The numbers game caught up with Skortch, who was quickly defeated. This just made matters worse, however, as the Jade Gladiator emerged, now angry in addition to powerful.

"Guys, we're gonna need all the zords together to beat this guy!" Conner urged.

"I guess it's time I really joined the party," Trent responded. The Dragozord, along with the Mezodon Rover, joined the Thundermax Megazord, thus connecting all but the auxiliary dino zords. This powerful behemoth of a zord was known as the Valkasaurus Megazord.

"All six in the same cockpit; I like it," Ethan remarked. Tommy rolled his eyes.

"Alright, full power, guys!" he ordered. The Valkasaurus attacked, using powered-up versions of the Mezodon Megazord's axes. The weapons cut right through the Jade Gladiator, destroying him in an impressive display. One massive explosion later, the zords separated and the Rangers headed back to their secret base. They were overjoyed about the big victory, but Tommy cautioned them that, in fact, the worst was yet to come.


	15. House of Cards

15 House of Cards

* * *

DISCLAIMER – I do NOT own Power Rangers, Dino Thunder, or any character other than Austin.

* * *

(Dino Thunder theme plays)

As Austin, Conner and Kira looked on, Ethan flaunted his latest win in Dragon War, a dueling card game. He had defeated Devin with his Ruby Dragon, the rarest and most powerful card in Dragon War history. The celebration was cut short, however, when Principal Randall approached the scene. She bore her signature expression of disgust and dismay; not at all amused by the game.

"Principal Randall, I must say you are looking especially lovely today," Ethan remarked with feigned interest. Randall rolled her eyes.

"Mr. James, if your friend Mr. McKnight can't pull that off then what makes you think you can?" she retorted.

"Alright, well maybe I can appeal to your sense of compassion," Ethan replied awkwardly. Austin raised an eyebrow as the others stifled laughter at the ridiculous line.

"Maybe, if I had one," Randall responded strangely, "Hand over the cards." When Ethan continued to be uncooperative, Randal scooped up the cards by force and strutted off with them. Separated from his prized Ruby Dragon, Ethan quickly grew depressed as the group walked to class. Dr. Oliver taught a quick lesson on Velociraptors before assigning a worksheet. As the other students took advantage of the remaining class time to get started on it, Ethan remained numb and disinterested. This was extremely unsual for his smartest pupil, so Dr. Oliver summoned the Green Ranger to the front of the room.

"What's going on, Ethan?" he questioned, worried.

"Dr. O, principal Randall confiscated my Dragon War cards! I just got the Ruby Dragon!" he answered. The Black Ranger was both amused and annoyed.

"First off, I'm shocked that the most important thing on your mind is a set of cards," Tommy replied, "And on that note, isn't that a children's game?"

"It's a game of strategy for all ages!" Ethan countered, "Those cards are one of my most prized possessions!" he insisted. Dr. Oliver sighed.

"Look, even though you shouldn't have brought them in the first place, I'll ask her about it after school. Only if you start working on your homework AND show up to training this afternoon, though," he wagered. Ethan immediately nodded in agreement.

"Deal." The Green Ranger then returned to his seat and hastily began working. Tommy shook his head in disbelief as he returned to his prior task.

During the last period of the day, Tommy had an open timeslot during which he had no class to teach. Taking advantage of the empty halls while he could, he packed up his bag and headed towards the front of the school. After dropping off his stuff in his Jeep, he returned to the building to keep his earlier promise. The Black Ranger reluctantly made his way to Principal Randall's office to inquire about Ethan's Dragon War cards. Dr. Oliver got more than he bargained for, however, when he opened the door to see Randall transform into Else in the middle of the office.

"I really should've seen the resemblance sooner," Tommy remarked. Elsa turned to face him.

"I was beginning to wonder how long I could pull this off," she responded, "Spare me the insults and get straight to the fight." The two sparred in the office for a short while before Elsa transformed back into Randall and fled to the small field in front of the school. She and Dr. Oliver engaged in an intense battle, which was suddenly made all the more chaotic when the bell rang to dismiss class for the day. Students flooded out the front doors only to surround the pair in awe as they fought on.

"What's going on? Why's Dr. O fighting Principal Randall?" Conner questioned aloud. Trent shrugged.

"Maybe he knows something we don't," Kira suggested.

"I asked him to talk to her about my Ruby Dragon card, but I doubt they escalated to fighting over that," Ethan added. Austin shook his head.

"I can guarantee that dad would never fight someone over something as stupid as a children's playing card," he responded, "There's something else going on here." Just then, Randall transformed back into Elsa and sent the mass of students running out of fear.

"Oh." was all Conner could muster. The five Rangers looked on as Elsa knocked Tommy back.

"You know what? Tell the school board I resign!" she barked. The villainess then escaped through an invisiportal. Despite being shocked about Randall's secret identity, the Rangers shrugged it off as they headed for the woods to begin a training session.

Tommy had his five fellow Rangers gathered in a clearing for another round of training. Just before he could begin his lesson, however, they were all shocked to see the Ruby Dragon appear in the form of a monster. It had brought along some friends, too; Tyrannodrones ready and willing to fight. The six Rangers morphed and engage the monster, but even the Triassic Ranger was unable to finish it off. Trent, however, managed to find a weak spot in the form of the gold ribbon on its chest.

"Nice move! Let's Z-Rex this guy!" Conner remarked.

"Bring em' together!" Tommy instructed. The Rangers' six weapons were connected to form the most powerful version of the Z-Rex blaster.

"Ready!" Ethan cried.

"Aim!" Kira continued.

"Fire!" Austin finished. The blaster fired an enormous energy blast, which destroyed the dragon in a grand, explosive display. As usual, however, it was brought back to life in the form of a giant.

"Let's bring out the Valkasaurus!" Trent suggested.

"Great idea! Let's go Brachio!" Tommy responded. The zords were deployed and connected to form the Rangers' most powerful weapon: the Valkasaurus Megazord. At furst the Ruby Dragon seemed to get the upper hand, landing a powerful aerial attack. However, the Valkasaurus struck back with a Stego tail attack.

"Let's finish this!" Conner cried.

"Valkasaurus, final strike!" the Rangers finished in unison. The Megazord struck down and destroyed the Ruby Dragon with its double Triassic axe attack. Finally, all was well- for the time being- and another day was saved.

* * *

Before school the next morning, Tommy and the other Rangers ran into Trent and his father, Anton, in the hall. They exchanged cheerful greetings and all appeared well until Anton suddenly seemed to acquire a headache. Trent looked pale as a ghost, and Mercer repeatedly refused aid before fleeing. Worried, Tommy and the others chased after him, leaving Trent to follow in the rear. Eventually, Anton found himself cornered in a science lab, at which point he turned and involuntarily transformed into Mesogog.

"Woah, didn't see that coming," Ethan remarked. Austin just shook his head for once.

"I don't think any of us did," he added. Meanwhile, Mesogog glared at Trent.

"You will pay for betraying me, White Ranger," he hissed. Suddenly, Anton forcibly took back control.

"Trent… I'm sorry…" he said weakly. He then escaped through an invisiportal. The others turned their gazes to the White Ranger, who wasn't quite sure what to think.

"You have a lot of explaining to do," Tommy remarked. Trent could only nod in response.

The remainder of the school day was stressful to say the least. Trent was a nervous wreck, and the other Rangers were constantly debating whether or not they could trust him. Finally, classes let out and the six Rangers met up with Hayley in the command center. Trent sat across from the others, and explained how long he'd known and why he had chosen not to tell them.

"I hate to break I to you, but I'm not sure how I can trust you anymore, Trent," Conner remarked. Ethan shook his head.

"For once, I agree," he added. Kira stared at her feet, not wanting to hurt Trent feelings. Hayley couldn't manage a single word. Trent looked to Tommy for his opinion, when suddenly the youngest Ranger spoke up.

"I still trust you," he stated. The others stared at him in shock. "I mean, sure, your dad is Mesogog, but that's not your fault. You did keep that a secret for several months, but I probably would have done the same thing in your shoes. We may be mad now, but if you had just come out and said 'oh, by the way, my dad is Mesogog' that probably wouldn't have gone over any better," he reasoned.

"Austin's got a point. I know better than anyone how tough it is to be a former evil Ranger; it's hard to be trusted by your teammates," Tommy responded, "Austin's logic is sound, and you haven't aided Mesogog since before I would up in a coma. I trust you, but I'll still be keeping a close eye on you." Ethan sighed.

"Well, if Dr. O trusts you, I do too," he remarked. The others agreed.

"Alright, fair enough," Trent admitted, "I'm sorry about this whole fiasco." The others accepted the apology and soon life returned to normal for Hayley and the Rangers.

* * *

Late that night, Tommy entered his son's room just as the boy climbed in bed. Austin was surprised to see his father come up to his room for once, as usually they said goodnight downstairs. Tommy took a seat on the bed, and it became clear that something was on his mind. Austin waited silently for his father to speak, meanwhile the Black Ranger searched for the right words to express his feelings.

"...I'm proud of you, Austin," he finally spoke. The Blue Ranger blinked in shock. "If it weren't for you stepping in, I probably would have stripped Trent of his morpher today. What you did earlier shows great initiative and leadership skills." Austin blushed lightly at the compliments. Coming from his father and lifelong idol, they meant a great deal to him.

"Thanks, dad," Austin replied. The two shared a hug, after which Tommy looked down with a smile.

"You know, something tells me you're going to be an even better Ranger in the future," he remarked.

"I wonder what color I'll be next time…" Austin commented, thinking aloud, "Eh, probably blue or green. Not that there's anything wrong with green, of course!" Tommy chuckled at his son's remark; the boy really did look up to him, didn't he?

"You never know, Austin," Tommy replied, "Personally, I think you're underestimating yourself." Austin shook his head.

"I doubt it. Most people can't see past my young age, anyway," he countered. Tommy stood and ruffled his son's hair.

"Trust me, you'll do great. Just wait and see," he promised, "Good night."

"Good night, dad."


	16. Thunderstruck

16 Thunderstruck

* * *

DISCLAIMER – I do NOT own Power Rangers, Dino Thunder, or any character other than Austin.

* * *

(Dino Thunder theme plays)

Trent Fernandez was in a state of shock, having snuck into Mesogog's lair- without permission- to get info on the villain's latest plans. To his horror, the White Ranger witnessed the master plan set in motion. Mesogog first consumed a serum he'd perfected, which separated him from Anton Mercer, Trent's father. Strapping Mercer to a torture device, Mesogog completed a laser that would, in short, turn everyone onto the planet into dinosaurs.

Another shocking revelation was that Mesogog drained Zeltrax and Elsa of the evil energies he had given them, destroying the former in the process. No longer a villainess, Elsa- if that was her real name- was strapped to a second torture device for her former master's enjoyment. Using the energy he had just drained, Mesogog partially powered up the cannon. Trent left after overhearing the most crucial part of the villain's babbling: he would need all six Dino Gems to fully power the weapon and complete his dastardly plot. Cogs turned in Trent's head as a plan was set in motion.

* * *

"For once, I have no solution," Tommy replied, shocked when Trent told him what he'd seen. The other Rangers were troubled as well. Hayley spoke up first for a change.

"I guess I'll be the one saving the day for once," she remarked. Instantly, all eyes in the room were on her. In response, she brought up some blueprints on the main computer. "This is the Triceramax Command Center. It's a mobile command center equipped with a laser than can destroy Mesogog's weapon and island base. We just need a distraction when we go in there so I can get close enough."

"I can take the Dino Gems in and distract Mesogog by offering them to him for his hostages," Trent suggested.

"It's too risky. If we lose those, we lose everything," Conner disagreed. Tommy spoke up.

"If we don't make the gamble, Trent loses his father and another innocent civilian dies, too," he argued.

"Tommy's right, Conner. We have no choice," Hayley confirmed. Nodding, the Rangers hesitantly handed over their Dino Gems and prepared for a tough- and possibly final- mission.

* * *

As the other Rangers neared the target zone, Trent infiltrated Mesogog's base with the gems in hand. Walking up to the villain, he was stopped in his tracks as the sentient dino started him down with an evil grin. This was not going to be fun.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Mesogog remarked.

"I brought the Dino Gems, Mesogog. I'll give them to you if you let my father go," Trent responded. Mesogog was silent for a moment.

"Well… I suppose if they're real, you can have him…" the villain finally answered, "Not that it matters..." Trent allowed him to plug the gems into the machine, and soon Mesogog was absorbed with powering up his cannon. Meanwhile, the White Ranger snuck off and freed his two captives before heading to open an invisiportal.

"We're here!" Hayley remarked, "Where's the portal?" Tommy, seated alongside her in the front seat, shook his head.

"I don't know, but it had better open fast! We're running out of ground before that cliffside!" he replied. Looks of horror were etched on the younger Rangers' faces as the semi truck hurtled towards a wall of rock. Then, at almost the last second, a portal opened and they slipped through. Now on the island, Hayley set a course to get the Triceramax Command Center in range of the base.

As Trent finished his task, Mesogog's attention was caught by the blare of a proximity alarm. Angered by the other Rangers' presence, he sent Tyrannodrones to intercept them. As the villain remained occupied, Trent waited for the perfect moment to swipe the Dino Gems and escape. He just hoped it was soon enough, because the cannon was already powering up.

Riding in the very back of the vehicle, the Rangers watched as Hayley brought the Triceramax Command Center to a halt amidst a crowd of Tyrannodrones. Quickly exiting the vehicle, Tommy and the four teens engaged Mesogog's cronies and drove them to either side of the path ahead.

"Hayley, go!" Tommy instructed as he fought. Gunning the throttle, Hayley drove the semi ahead towards Mesogog's base. However, a few drones managed to get atop the truck and destabilize the laser. If they weren't defeated and the laser realigned, the weapon wouldn't function and the whole plan would go up in flames.

"Guys, I need some help! They're destroying the laser!" Hayley cried over the Rangers' comms.

"I'm on it!" Conner responded, using his super speed to catch the command center and grab hold of the trailer. Climbing up top, he engaged the tyrannodrones and eventually sent them all flying to the ground below. Turning to the laser, he cooperated with Hayley to get the weapon back in operating condition.

"Okay, it's good and I'm in range! Get down!" Hayley remarked once they succeeded. Conner dove to the ground as the laser let off a massive beam of energy that battered Mesogog's base and started a complete collapse. With the island falling apart around them, the Rangers rushed to the Command Center. Hayley started driving as soon as everyone was inside. By the time the semi arrived at the exit portal, everyone was strapped in and the vehicle was at top speed.

The semi made it through the portal just as it closed, the island self-destructing in their wake. Hayley immediately slammed on the brakes, bringing the vehicle to a quick stop. Everyone piled out of the vehicle, looking around for any sign of Trent and/or his father. There were none, and quickly the teens began to lose hope that their friend had made it off of the island alive.

"He has to have made it out, right?" Kira questioned, looking at Tommy. The Black Ranger shrugged, unable to answer.

"What do we do now?" Conner asked openly. Austin shrugged.

"It's not like they're just gonna fall out of the sky or something," Ethan added. The Blue Ranger glanced upward, and the others looked at him as if he were insane. "What? The last time I did that it worked!" As if on cue, Trent, his father and Elsa fell from an invisiportal to the ground in front of them. "See?" Ethan gloated. The others rolled their eyes as they ran to check on their friends.

With the world seemingly saved, the Rangers returned to Tommy's secret lab to make sure there were no signs of Mesogog. Much to their chagrin, they spotted him reappearing at the docks. Leaving Hayley, Mercer and Elsa in the base for their own safety, the Rangers headed off for one final battle. Arriving at the docks, the six Rangers found Mesogog patiently waiting for them. Before they could morph, however, he broke into a monologue.

"You Rangers may have ruined my plans for a perfect world, but I was still able to absorb enough Dino Gem energy to complete my transformation!" he hissed. The villain then grew to a massive beast almost twice his former size, his neck extending outward and leaving him with an appearance fitting of a carnivorous dinosaur.

"Guys, you'd better step back," Tommy ordered.

"What? Why?" Conner asked.

"He's too powerful; there's only one way we're winning this!" Tommy responded, pulling out a golden object. Austin's eyes widened as he recognized the Dragon power coin and Tommy's old morpher.

"Where'd you get that?" he questioned, "I thought it was lost!" Tommy grinned.

"It was taken back in time, and I'm a paleontologist. Put the pieces together," he answered, "It's Morphin' Time! Dragonzord!" The other Rangers were shocked to see Tommy Oliver morph into the original Green Ranger in a spectacular display. Mesogog fired a lightning-like laser at Tommy with his mind, the same attack he'd used to torture Zeltrax and Elsa when they failed him. The Green Ranger answered with his own green lightning, courtesy of the Dragon Dagger. Overpowering Mesogog, Tommy's attack connected and did significant damage.

"It's not possible…" Mesogog sputtered. The Green Ranger smirked inside his helmet.

"I'm just getting started!" he remarked. Mesogog attempted another lightning attack, but Tommy sent it right back with his Dragon Shield. The Green Ranger then attacked Mesogog with a series of powerful slashes and blows, dodging every attempt Mesogog made at retaliation. As the battle wore on, however, the villain found a few holes in Tommy's offense and struck hard. Going all-in, Tommy summoned the ball of energy he'd defeated the Mighty Morphin Rangers with in their first battle.

"Let's go Tommy!" the others cheered, albeit from a distance.

"This is the end, Mesogog!" the Green Ranger cried. Mesogog smiled.

"Is it?" he toyed. Suddenly, the villain duplicated himself into four separate copies. Tommy was outnumbered, and overpowered- at least, that's what Mesogog thought. "Not so confident now, are you, Tommy?" The Green Ranger stood his ground.

"You leave me no choice, Mesogog! Dino Thunder, DNA Morph!" Tommy cried. Even Austin was awestruck as Tommy fused his green and black powers to create a whole new Ranger form. His green suit gained the golden spikes from his black attire, and his Dragon Dagger fused with the Brachio Staff to form the Dragon Sword. Activating Super Dino Mode, Tommy faced off against the clones.

"I've gotta get a picture of this!" Austin remarked excitedly.

"Already done," Ethan replied, holding up his phone. As the Rangers' resident geek got a pat on the back, Tommy engaged Mesogog yet again. Now more powerful than ever, the Dragon Ranger's fighting was flawless. He pushed back all four copies of the villain, striking them with his sword and landing Earth, wind, wave and fire strikes. Now, he pulled out another new attack, and his strongest. With the four Mesogog's reeling, he fired a full-power bolt strike that fused the copies back together.

"Alright guys, all in!" Tommy cried, acting quickly. As their enemy regained his bearings, the other five Rangers morphed.

"Ptera power!" Kira cried.

"Tricera power!" Ethan continued.

"Stego power!" Austin added.

"Drago power!" Trent proceeded.

"T-Rex power!" Conner finished.

"DINO POWER!" the six Rangers cried. Tommy had never been more proud.

"Bring em' together, one more time!" he instructed. Adding his Dragon Sword to the other five weapons, Tommy created the ultimate Dino Thunder weapon.

"Z-Rex Blaster, thunder mode!" the Rangers cried. Mesogog turned just in time to see the weapon; his eyes widening as his end drew nigh.

"Fire!" Tommy ordered. The weapon let loose a massive beam of electricity, hitting Mesogog dead on. Finally, the evil mastermind was destroyed. The Rangers celebrated as the powered down, Tommy instantly receiving a tight hug from his son.

"That was awesome, dad!" Austin cried. Tommy smiled and ruffled the boy's hair.

"Thanks," he replied, turning to the others, "Well, I guess you guys lucked out. Most Rangers don't get to keep their powers." Conner smiled.

"Trust me, Dr. O, we'll only use them if they're needed," he promised. The others nodded.

"You guys have sure come a long way," Tommy replied, smiling, "Come on, we've got to get ready for prom."

* * *

Late that night, Ethan stood in a large, two-story atrium hosting the Reefside High 2011 Senior Prom. He was surprised to see Conner approach with, of all girls, one they had seen protecting a tree on school grounds. Their former principal had tried to cut the plant down to build a parking lot, but Krista's actions had helped save it. The Green Ranger was shocked that Conner had chosen her as his date.

"Tree girl?" he asked once she left to get some punch. Conner smiled sheepishly.

"Hey, it's what's on the inside that counts," he explained.

"Aw, our little Conner's all grown up!" Austin toyed, looking down from the balcony above. He and Trent shared a good laugh as the Red Ranger rolled his eyes.

"So, how's the future look, Trent?" Tommy asked, getting the White Ranger's attention. Trent turned to face his mentor.

"I'm really excited, actually. I'm going to art school in the fall," he answered. Tommy smiled.

"You okay with that, Anton?" he asked, turning to Trent's father.

"I couldn't be happier," Mercer replied, "What about you, Tommy? What's next for the man who's done it all?" Tommy was flustered by the comment.

"Well, I'd like to live the quiet life and teach some more, but with Austin becoming a Ranger... I think we'll play it by ear," Tommy answered.

"And I'll be along for the ride," Hayley added, walking up. Mercer turned a light shade of pink.

"Sorry about trying to buy you out a while back…" he whispered apologetically. Hayley smiled.

"It's fine, Anton. It's in the past," she assured him. With all looking well, Tommy excused himself to the bathroom as Elsa- the new principal- joined in the conversation. A few minutes later, everyone was surprised to see Dr. Oliver walk up onstage. After saying a few words, he prepared to introduce the first musical act of the night.

"Now, you know her, you love her, ladies and gentlemen, Kira Ford!" he announced. The other Rangers- and their classmates- smiled and applauded as the curtains opened to reveal Kira and her band. She immediately began singing, and for once it seemed musical preferences weren't going to be an issue. The night was still early, too; there would be a lot more fun to come.

* * *

That Saturday, Tommy received a peculiar phone call, and was on the line for several minutes. Austin, who had just found the perfect spot for his high school diploma, waited to hear about it once Tommy hung up. Hayley, who happened to be visiting at the time, walked in just as the call came to an abrupt end. Already expecting a confrontation, Tommy immediately spilled the beans.

"Since you're both clearly wondering, that was my friend from SPD, Anubis Cruger," he remarked. Hayley's eyes widened.

"You're friends with the head of SPD Earth?" she questioned. Tommy nodded.

"What did he want?" Austin asked.

"Apparently Earth has another enemy headed its way: the Troobian Empire," Tommy explained, "Cruger is planning ahead, and is preparing several squads of cadets to back up 'A Squad' as he called it."

"He wants you to suit up again, doesn't he?" Hayley questioned. Tommy shook his head, widening two pairs of eyes.

"He's seen us on the news and wants Austin on B Squad," he answered. Austin suddenly found all attention on him.

"Where is SPD Earth, anyway?" the boy asked. Hayley beat Tommy to the punch.

"Newtech City. There, humans coexist with aliens and use alien technology," she remarked, "The stuff there is beyond any Ranger tech I've ever created." Austin was flabbergasted. On one hand, he was a bit worried about meeting aliens, but at the same time the technology had him eager to go.

"I'm not going to force you to go, Austin. It's up to you," Tommy added. The young Ranger paused for only a moment more.

"Well, that's an easy decision," he remarked, "To Newtech City!"


End file.
